Former Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Oleksandr Khatskevich shared his memories about his compatriot and teammate Valentin Belkevich, who could have turned 51 today.
Valentin Belkevich and Aleksandr Khatskevich in the national team of Belarus"Valik's communication with the press was influenced by the disqualification"
- Alexander Nikolayevich, on 27 January 2024 your friend, legend of Dynamo and Belarus national team Valentin Belkevich could turn 51. Fans remember Valentin Belkevich as a master of standards and a fantastic playmaker, but closed from the media attention outside the football field. What kind of person was he?
- First of all, for me he was a true friend, with whom we played football from the age of seven, played in the national team and Dynamo Kyiv. For outsiders Valik created an image of a closed person and did not let many people into his life. The work of a football player implies communication with the press, but he was quite conservative in this matter, and I understand why.
- Why?
- There was such a story, when he was still playing for Minsk "Dynamo" and got caught doping. Journalists like to speculate a lot and express their hypotheses, versions. He was very much worried about the disqualification (in September 1994 Belkevich was subjected to a one-year disqualification by UEFA for doping - the sample after the match for the UEFA Cup showed the use of steroids - ed.) and the negativity that was in the Belarusian press at that time, very much affected his communication with the press.
"Prerequisites for the tragedy? He had an emotional and psychological breakdown."
- How was the last year of his life?
- Quite productive in terms of work. We worked with him in the Dynamo double, then there was the U-19 team, which he led and won the championship with it. Professionally, everything worked out for him here. There were prospects for further growth.
- Was Valentin Nikolayevich worried about something at that time in terms of health or family relations?
- No, Valik was fine in terms of health and relations with Lesya. In terms of health he could give a head start to any of us.
- So there were no preconditions for such a tragedy?
- It was more of an emotional and psychological breakdown.
- Do you remember the last words you said to each other?
- We agreed to play tennis with him and discuss further plans for his work. It was the 28th or 29th of July. That day, when we were going to meet, I dialled Valik - he didn't answer. Then I rang Lesa, and she said that he wasn't in form today. And on the 31st, this tragedy had already happened.
"Valik was such a pragmatic fantasist."
- You played together since childhood, you started to play in Minsk "Dynamo" in 1992, then in Kyiv. Did you become friends right away or did you feel some competition on the pitch?
- Yes, we started playing football together at the age of seven. We became friends at once for some reason. I came in November and when we started games in the hall (4 on 4), our first coach Mikhail Stepanovich Bratchenya began to put us in the first four for these mini-games, we quickly played.
And we never had any competition. Valik always played fantasist, playmaker, and I - supporting midfielder.
- In 1996 you joined Dynamo Kyiv together. Belkevych joined the team a week earlier than you, and you came straight to the pre-season training in Sweden. Did Valentin know that you would become his teammate in Ukraine?
- Yes, he knew that there were negotiations. When he left, I said that I also have a contract, and he said: "I wish it would happen sooner and we would meet together again".
- In one of the interviews Belkevych said that József Szabo gave him few chances at first. Do you agree with this statement?
- Valik was dissatisfied with that period of his career, when he came to Dynamo Kyiv and didn`t play much. It is a normal state of any player when he is dissatisfied with the fact that he gets little game practice.
But we can understand Jozsef Jozsefovich, because at that time Yura Kalitvintsev, who was a leader and looked confident enough on this position, played in the centre of Dynamo Kyiv's pitch.
Competition in the future and helped Valik to become the footballer, which he eventually became in Ukraine.
- Was Belkevych a maximalist in life and set only the highest goals?
- Valik was such a pragmatic fantasist. Because there was an influence of his father, who had a degree in mathematics, I think, he was a professor, and that's why Belkevych calculated all the moves. Well, there was also enough maximalism in him.
- Valentin Nikolaevich told in an interview that his parents supported him in his passion for football, but his father wanted him to be a military man.
- Mum would have liked him to play the guitar, and dad would have wanted him to become a military man. But, as they say, you can't escape fate. I don't know how he would have been a military man or a musician, but then football would have lost a lot if such a person had not taken place.
- When you left Dynamo in 2004, Valentin did not try to dissuade you? How did he take the news?
- We are grown-ups. I am 30 years old, Valik is the captain of Dinamo, and my contract was expiring, and guys came to my position, Jerko Leko and Tiberiu Gioane, who were younger, more promising and looked stronger than me. So I didn't want to just sit in the team. Valik and I talked about it and you know what his strength was? He said, "Everyone decides his own fate." Of course, I could still try to compete, to create a semblance of struggle for a place in the base, but I understood that I would not be able to stay in Dynamo Kyiv for my former merits.
- Belkevych was a very bright player, and in those years Dynamo was rattling in the Champions League. No doubt, foreign clubs were interested in him. I wonder which ones?
- The end of 1999 was the heyday of the team and Valik. I am sure that there were offers for him, but that period of time was not so informative for the player and he could simply not know that someone was interested in him. Because at that time there were no agents. We might not have known that someone was invited to another team. But I also understand Surkis, that he wanted to keep him in Dynamo Kyiv.
- Belkevych did not know that they were interested in him and did not say anything to you?
- Maybe he knew, but he certainly did not tell me.
- His wife Olesya told in an interview that Rinat Akhmetov asked her to persuade Valentin to move to Shakhtar. Have you heard this story?
- I do not know how exactly Lesya was asked by Rinat Leonidovich to persuade Valik to move to Shakhtar, but I know that there was interest. He spoke about this very interest and at that time there was a very serious sum of personal contract.
But Valik really liked Kyiv, he liked Dynamo, he respected the fans of the club and said that no money can buy it. And to move then from Dynamo to Shakhtar.... At that time there were no such cases.
- Since you remember Olesya, what was your relationship with her? Was Belkevych really happy with her?
- We still keep in touch with her, we call and communicate. Lesin's son and my eldest grew up together, they are still friends. We have quite a warm relationship and remained after Valik's death.
And yes, he was really happy with her.
"Sedokova's accusations against me? Three moments where lies and hypocrisy sound."
- But Valentin's history with his other wife Anna Sedokova turned out sadly.
- Sadly turned out his life, and the relationship... People come together, break up - it's normal. But the fact that Sedokova still participated in the fate of more than one family, so she has such a vocation.
- Sedokova mentioned you on social media. She said, and I quote: "And here is Valentin's best friend, Khatskievich, who was sitting in my kitchen, who was holding my little daughter in his arms, comes to court and testifies that at this time Valentin received a salary of only $200-300 a month." Tell me about this story.
- How much he was getting, I didn't really know. The second point is that I was in court. I've never been in any court. Three, I never held Alina in my arms sitting in their house. I've given you three points where lies and hypocrisy are being told. So what she meant and what she said, I don't know. I have nothing to add.
- Fans in the comments are rushing to conclusions that Sedokova never had warm feelings for Belkevich, and she was only interested in money, and the attacks in your direction - an opportunity to poppirate in social networks.
- There was some kind of spark between them. They got married and had a daughter. They're just very different. I remember the words from the film "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes Profession", when the heroine came to her husband and said: "I am all in cinema, I am all in art, and your car will ruin you". So, probably, Valik had such a relationship with Sedokova that she was all in music.
Plus the project "VIA Gra" was born in Ukraine, but then it was necessary to move to Moscow, and Valik was not ready for it. At that time he was at the peak of his career and did not want to leave Dynamo. Yes, for the sake of his family it could have been done, but it means that their relationship was not so strong. I can only judge about it, because Valik hinted to me that Sedokova was moving to Moscow and here it was necessary to make a decision with Dynamo and everything. But something stopped him. Probably, they were not close enough to change his career for his wife's career.
"Valik spent thousands of dollars on fishing equipment."
- Let's get to the nicer stuff. You and Valentin had a common hobby - fishing. Tell us where you liked to fish and what trophy records you and Belkevich have.
- Fishing is from childhood. I remember how we went to a sports camp and on any weekend we sat on the lake and caught perch and crucian carp.
When we became older, we started to approach this business more professionally. In the area of hundred kilometres near Kiev, Valik and I knew all the lakes, paid and free. On any holiday, wherever we went, we always had fishing in our plan. Our hobby coincided in this.
Valik recently bought thousands of dollars worth of rods and equipment for carp fishing and read a lot on the Internet about it. He could even go out for 2-3 days, "feed" and sit alone.
Different things happened in terms of trophies. As in the anecdote, when a fisherman was asked the very question, what size prey caught, and he spreads his hands and answers: "This big." His hands were tied, and he spreads his palms and says, "That's the kind of eyes she had." For someone even a kilogram carp is a trophy, and for someone even 20 kilograms is not an achievement.
Fishing is necessary to switch your mind and rest your soul.
- Your most memorable fishing trip together with Belkiewicz.
- In Mauritius. We rented a boat and these first tuna, barracuda - it still remains in the memory. Ocean fishing gives new emotions and charges with positive moments for life.
- What else did Valentin like? A favourite film? A book? Music?
- Valik played billiards very well. It was his second hobby, along with fishing. In terms of films? He often made a film based on three of Zoshchenko's short stories, "No way!". He knew all the phrases by heart and often quoted them.
I can't say that he read a lot, but we all reread Akunin about Fandorin's adventures. Mikhail Krug was always playing in his car and one of his favourite songs was "Come to my house, my doors are open. I will sing songs to you and treat you with wine". He didn't sing songs, but he could treat you with wine.
- I would like to end our conversation on a positive note. Tell me some funny story about you and Belkevich. We already know how you called Lobanovsky.
- (Laughs). The story will still be connected with Valeriy Vasilyevich. He somehow changed the bonus system for winning the championship. Valik played the first round, scored a lot of goals, but then got injured. He came back around the end of spring.
Nobody knew who would get how much. Some got 10,000, others more. Valik looks at the sheet, and there is $ 300. How come? He went to Lobanovsky to sort things out, and when he came back, he said that Vasilyevich was more convincing than him.
I went to Lobanovsky. He asked about the claims to the amount of prize money, I said that there were none. Then Vasilyevich says that my friend is an intellectual and thanked him for his charity.
That is, after Lobanovsky's explanation, Valik was also happy that at least something was given. (Laughs).
It had to be seen when he went confident and charged for the showdown, and then calmly walked out.
Yevgeniy Chepur
