Mircea Lucescu: "Akhmetov was upset that I left for Dynamo Kyiv"

Dynamo head coach Mircea Lucescu commented on the war in Ukraine in an interview with Gsp.ro, and also told how things are going for him in the capital club.

— Mircea, the biggest achievement in recent years is the championship with Dynamo Kyiv?

- Dynamo lost the league earlier with a 23-point lead over Shakhtar, and a year later we won with a lead of 11 points. We won the Cup and the Super Cup of Ukraine. After the pandemic, the war came, football is no more, it is no longer possible ... Now it is extremely difficult.

- There is a full-fledged war in Ukraine ...

- We played in Uzhgorod and traveled 13 hours by train. Then I went to Lviv, it's still seven or eight hours. When I played in European competitions, I went to Krakow, Lviv, Kyiv, Chisinau every week. It is extremely difficult, but you have to live with football and not abandon it. This is the sentimental side of people who are absolutely innocent.

— And yet, they play football in Ukraine.

— Only at three or four stadiums. All foreign coaches left Ukraine, but I couldn't give up. I would never have left Korvinul either, because I had incredible success, but I went to work for the national team. It's a difficult situation, but I can't betray the club! If I leave, I myself will consider it a betrayal.

- Did you have any suggestions?

— From Fenerbahce. I couldn't leave Kyiv. 11 players left the team, and now I have five, six young players. Zabarny went to England, Tsygankov to Spain, Verbich to Panathinaikos, Kendzera to PAOK... Until the pandemic came, Dynamo Kyiv won many matches, there were a lot of fans at the games, and then the team ended up without them.

“But everyone lost a lot of money.

- Shakhtar has a president who loves football more than money. Akhmetov earned money for the team. He was in love with this team from the age of six or seven and never agreed to take a team from abroad or another club from Ukraine.

— Do you keep in touch with him?

“The last time we talked was two weeks ago. He was upset that I left for Dynamo Kiev, but we are professionals. At Dynamo, they only asked me to come and talk, because they had a difficult period, and in the end they convinced me to sign a contract.

- And how much do you earn?

— Ha, ha, ha! I was waiting for this question... I don't earn as much as people imagine. And the question is far from money. The question is to survive! Both for the club and for all football in Ukraine. I would like to do the same in Romania, but it was impossible.