Igor Plastun: "Ordabasa coaches and managers understand that Ukrainians will not play in sparring matches with Russian clubs"

Ukrainian defender Ihor Plastun has revealed the details of his transfer from Bulgarian side Ludogorets to Kazakh side Ordabasy.

- 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