Volodymyr Chorno-Ivanov, an ex-employee of the UAF, spoke about the prospects of the national team of Ukraine.
Ruslan Rotan"About "tomorrow's" national team of Ukraine.
Oleksiy Mykhailichenko, the first vice-president of the UAF, co-chairman of the Committee of the UAF national teams, as well as the ex-head coach of the national teams of Ukraine U-21 and "A", in a conversation with journalists, said the following: "Which national team is stronger, 2009 or the current one? You know, I'll say this: tomorrow." His words are dated March 27 of this year, and the day before the country's main team played its first qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2024 in London.
It must be admitted that this is a vivid and rather deep allegory. The team of "tomorrow", the team of the future! And what is she?
As an answer to this question, I offer a quote from Fernando Hierro, the former sporting director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation and also the head coach of La Furia Roja during the 2018 FIFA World Cup: "I know that traditionally many national associations try to see in the youth national teams displaying the style of the "A" team. But our point of view is that it should be the other way around: the game of the A team is based on what we do in the youth teams."
How are our youth national teams doing? I will allow myself to avoid talking about the results, about the quantity and quality of international game practice, about the analysis of the team's game. I will only draw your attention to the personnel aspect regarding national team coaches.
First, the head coach of the "A" team is not in Ukraine today. There is an acting manager.
Secondly, we all well remember that on February 28 of this year, the UAF Executive Committee appointed Ruslan Rotany as acting "head coach of the national team of Ukraine." At the same time, he continues to manage the U-21 national team and the main team of the football club "Alexandria". But for some reason, no one noticed that Ruslan Petrovych is also a member of the Executive Committee of the UAF, which appointed him to the position of head of the "A" team, and he represents the AF of the Poltava Region in it! Thus, he is a three-time coach and once a member of the UAF executive committee.
Volodymyr Yezerskyi, his assistant at Oleksandria FC, simultaneously heads the national youth national team of Ukraine U-16/17 (footballers born in 2007 and younger), which in October will start in the qualification for the UEFA European Championship U-17 2023/24, and will its first training camp in May. Another coach of the youth national team works part-time. This time it is Serhiy Nagornyak and the U-19 team (2004). At the same time, he is the head coach of FC "Epicenter", the first league. True, the U-19 team has already completed its journey. Football players born in 2004 will now represent the "youth" starting from the qualifying cycle of the UEFA European U-21 Championship 2025/27.
Meanwhile, the national team U-17/18 (2006) and U-18/19 (2005) have coaches who work permanently in the UAF office. Accordingly, Yuriy Moroz and Oleg Kuznetsova.
And finally, it should be noted that the UAF has not yet decided on the head coach of the next "youth team", which in the fall already begins its performance in the qualification for UEFA Euro U-21 2025. This team will include football players born in 2002 and younger.
Thus, today we have seven national teams: "A", U-21 (2000/2001), U-21 (2002/2003), U-19 (2004), U-18/19 (2005), U- 17/18 (2006) and U-16/17 (2007). Among them, two teams do not have coaches - "A" and U-21 (2002/2003), and four teams work part-time.
And last but not least, in my opinion, quite important. Until 2021, when the UAF national team institute began co-coaching, the last time this happened in UAF/FFU was in 2004. Viktor Kaschei, manager of the youth national team born in 1987 (at the U-16/17 level), combined the position of national team coach and work in the club. At the same time, he headed this age of birth in the academy of FC "Dynamo" Kyiv. Viktor Yosifovych finished working with the national team in 2004, having started in 2002.
In my opinion, the "tomorrow" national team of Ukraine (the "A" team), which, based on the principles of one of the most successful national football associations of the UEFA member, starting its journey precisely from the youth national teams, today, unfortunately, has a slightly blurred silhouette. And he, in my opinion, causes more concern than confidence in her successful future. But I, like any other person, can be wrong. Apparently, this is how the institute of national teams of the football federation should work," Chorno-Ivanov wrote in his Telegram channel Know-Nothing in the football.
