In an exclusive interview with Dynamo.kiev.ua, ex-head coach of Kyiv Dynamo Oleksandr Khatskevych commented on his appointment as the head coach of Polish club Zaglembe from the city of Sosnowice.
- Your appointment to the last-place club in the Polish first league was quite unexpected. And you were not embarrassed by this invitation?
- Why should it embarrass me? For the last two years, against the background of what is happening in Ukraine, I think nothing can embarrass me.
Yes, I took a team that is in last place in the first league, but the teams that are in first place rarely change coaches in the middle of the season. Moreover, we should take into account that a new investor came to Zaglembe, and the situation with the club is changing. But the primary goal, of course, is to keep our place in the first league.
In any case, we have 15 more matches ahead of us, and there is a plan to improve our tournament position. And the main thing is that the new investor has an understanding of how to build the future of the team and the club. By the way, the press conference of the new owner of "Zaglembe" will be held in Sosnowice the other day, it is a well-known businessman Rafal Collins.
Of course, we don't have much time to solve the primary tasks. But the main thing is that we already have a plan to correct the current tournament situation.
- What about your coaching staff? "Zaglembe" has only announced that Severin Gancarczyk will be in its squad.
- All the work is still in process. We are negotiating. There are various issues. Including visas. There are specialists I would like to see in my coaching staff, but there are certain formalities. Therefore, so far we have to work in a truncated line-up. Local guys who know the team are very helpful. During this week that I have been working with Zaglembe, they have given information on each player of the team.
- As the head coach of Zaglembe you have already played your first match, albeit a friendly one. What are your first impressions of your new team?
- Everything takes time. Now we have to work in a pretty tough mode. Physical training coach helps a lot. And he already now says that the team has never had such intensive trainings.
As for the friendly match, which you mentioned, we played in Slovakia and left for this game at seven o'clock in the morning. Considering all the circumstances, the result of this game is not important. The most important thing was to get information on the players. The information that you can get only in matches.
- Did you get this information?
- It's hard to make unequivocal conclusions from one game. It is clear that there is some information. I was able to better understand the capabilities and potential of the team players. But now I am waiting for the next control match, which will be held this Wednesday. After it, I think, I will already understand who from the current squad will remain in the team.
- As for the tasks set for you, so far it is only to keep your place in the first league?
- Yes, it is necessary to stay here. Everyone understands that. We will try to solve this task, but we don`t have much time for it. However, there is nowhere lower! So the only task now is to keep our place in the first league.
- Recently you had an option with "Vorskla". What didn`t work out?
- I had direct contact with the management of "Vorskla" before the New Year. They told me directly that the club is considering my candidature and others. After the New Year they contacted me and informed me that they made a choice in favour of another specialist (Serhiy Dolganskiy was appointed as the acting head coach of Vorskla - ed.). This is the choice of the club, which I respect, and I wish Vorskla only good luck. I am always open to suggestions. And in this situation it is very important for me that I learnt about the appointment of Vorskla coach not from the press, but from the club leaders.
- I can not but touch upon the topic, because of which in recent days you have become the main newsmaker in the Ukrainian information space in connection with the fact that you sent Russian journalists on the only possible route, when they asked you to explain your words that your main football blunder was "a trip to this fucking Volgograd, to this fucking Russia".
- I'm not retracting what I said. I've learnt to tell the good from the bad. I remember the people I worked with in Volgograd and the people who surrounded me outside of my football activities. Their goodness I will not forget. No matter what they say, there are good people there. And there are such people in Belarus. But! What I said, I can only repeat! And my position towards this country will not change.
Alexander POPOV