Ukrainian defender Ihor Plastun has revealed the details of his transfer from Bulgarian side Ludogorets to Kazakh side Ordabasy.
Ігор Пластун- Ihor, congratulations on joining Ordabasa. What are your first impressions of the new club?
- Thank you. Everything is good, my impressions are positive. When you move to a new team, it's always a way out of your comfort zone.
Yesterday was my first day at the club, which was very busy. I had to talk to all the people and spend time with them. I was tired during the day. Today I slept well and am already starting to live according to the new team's schedule.
- For how long did you sign the agreement?
- For one season.
- How did the transfer to Ordabasa go?
- In recent months, I was actually absent from Ludogorets for reasons I don't want to talk about anymore. This is a story. My deal was supposed to last until the summer, but my agents Sergiy Serebrennikov and Vadym Shabliy, with whom I have been working for almost ten years, were looking for options. And so Ordabasy took the initiative to sign me.
For me, when choosing a club, the sports component has always come first. This team won the national championship and will play in the Champions League qualifiers. Of course, this option fascinated me, and I immediately agreed. Then there was the work of the agents and everything was decided in a day or two.
- Did Ukrainian clubs show interest in you?
- No, I have not received any offers from Ukraine.
- Did the presence of your compatriots Artem Besedin and Yevhen Makarenko in the team become an additional factor in favour of Ordabasa?
- It will always be a bonus. There are guys in the team who will always support you. Although, there are no problems with communication at all. Ordabasa has a good team.
- Did you consult with our guys before the transfer?
- Actually, no. Because everything was decided very quickly, and I simply did not have time for that. When I cancelled my contract with Ludogorets, I contacted Makarenko and we talked a bit. He told me in a nutshell what was going on.
- What role do you have in the team?
- Players of my age are signed to play in the first team to immediately strengthen the team and get results. Then everything depends on your work.
- Ordabasa's head coach is Belarusian Alexander Sednev. According to Transfermarkt, there is also a Russian specialist on the staff. The team also has a striker from Belarus. Did you take this into account before the transfer?
- There are also Ukrainian specialists in the staff. Sednev used to work a lot with Ukrainian players. I have already had a conversation with him. He speaks very well of all the Ukrainians he has met. I am not yet well acquainted with the Ordabasy squad. On the first day I saw that there were a lot of local players in the team.
I think that if you see a Russian in your life now, you shouldn't be afraid. You need to continue living your life. Let everyone be afraid of us.
- Did you discuss politics with the coach or management before the transfer?
- No, we didn't touch on this topic. Yesterday, Ordabasy was scheduled to play a sparring match with a Russian club(Fakel - ed.), but without us. The coaches and managers understand why we [Ukrainians] will not play.
Ukrainians in sports have to face Russians. You can often see this, for example, in tennis. They play. Life goes on. I think that in years to come, the same will happen in football. Maybe the teams won't play each other, but the players will 100% cross paths with each other.
- So, for you, the large presence of Belarusian and Russian players in the Kazakhstani championship will not be a problem?
- I don't know the line-ups of other teams, whether there are many Russians here (the representation of Russian legionnaires in the Kazakh league is the second largest after the Belarusian ones - 16 and 19 players respectively - ed.) I always look only at myself.
- Still, what broke down for you at Ludogorets this season?
- Nothing has broken down. This topic is very painful for me. This is football. I was constantly playing and was one of the captains, and at one point I just stopped being included in the application and it lasted for three months.
I don't want to raise this topic. I have a lot of love for Ludogorets, with whom I have experienced many positive emotions and moments. I wish them success.
- Have you been paid in full in Bulgaria?
- Yes. In this respect, Ludogorets is a very solid club. Over the years, there have never been any financial issues here.
- What are your personal goals for the season?
- To get used to the team as soon as possible and become one of the players here. I want Ordabasy to play good football and win. This is the main thing for me.
Dmytro Venkov
