During his playing career, Ivan Yaremchuk, a midfielder for Dynamo Kyiv and the USSR national team, also played in Germany and the Czech Republic. After the outbreak of the full-scale war, the native of Zakarpattia took a similar route. For three months he lived in Germany, where he was assisted by an odious former MP. Then he lived in Prague for a year and a half, and then moved to Belgium. Yaremchuk spoke frankly about his non-football routes in an exclusive interview with Champion.
Ivan YaremchukI have known Ivan for over 15 years. I remember visiting him in his two-room apartment in Kyiv, which he rented with two young women (who lived in the other room). At that time, Vanya (and all his friends and acquaintances still call him that) had already lost all his money at the casino, sold his apartment and car, and was in big debt. It seemed that his life was going down the drain. But, apparently, Yaremchuk managed to get out of this steep dive - perhaps because he no longer had anything to go to the casino with. In the summer of 2020, I watched Ivan play for the veterans' team and noted that he was in perfect health for his 58 years. And then the war came to Ukraine.
- Mr Ivan, where did you live on the eve of 24 February 2022?
- In the village of Markhalivka near Vasylkiv. My niece bought a house there and I lived with her. Literally 100 metres from us lives my former Dynamo and USSR team-mate Oleg Kuznetsov. I was visiting Oleg. A little further away is Oleksiy Semenenko, a long-time press officer and then vice-president of Dynamo Kyiv.
When the war broke out, he enlisted in the terrorist defence. We were on duty for 2-3 weeks, digging trenches. On the eve of his 60th birthday, he went to his small homeland - the village of Velyky Bychkiv in Zakarpattia. He celebrated his birthday and was invited to Germany by his friend, former MP and former president of the Equestrian Federation of Ukraine, Oleksandr Onyshchenko. At that time, he was helping the Ukrainian army a lot - he sent bulletproof vests and medical supplies. He even organised a charity match - the curator of our veteran team, Viktor Khlus, came with the guys by bus. We played a match on the way home and loaded the bus with the help we needed at the time. Oleksandr promised to help with employment. But I don't speak German, I don't have a coaching licence. I stayed in Germany for 3 months and realised that I needed to go somewhere else.
- Who recommended Prague?
- My relative lives there. He suggested it. As a result, I spent a year and a half in Prague. I met Sasha Hatskevich, who was in the Czech Republic with his family. We formed our own team. We played football on Tuesdays. Jura Gabovda, who played for the local Dukla, came to training. We attended home games of Sparta and Slavia, charity concerts of Okean Elzy and other Ukrainian showbiz stars.
I met many Ukrainians who had been living in the Czech Republic for 20 years. I also played billiards and found a club nearby. I did not apply for social security. I had a couple of kopecks to live on. I didn't want to abuse the hospitality of a relative, so I rented an apartment with a friend for a while. In Prague, it costs 800-1000 euros to rent a two-room apartment for a month. He was unable to find a job in the Czech Republic. Again, the language and the lack of a coaching licence were a hindrance. What do I know how to do? Only play football.
- How did the option with Belgium come about?
- We had mutual acquaintances with Valery Dvoinikov. His father, Valery Dvoinikov Sr, is a legend of Ukrainian and Soviet judo. He became the runner-up at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and in the same year won the European Championships, which, by the way, took place in Kyiv. Then he coached the Ukrainian national team, and in 1990 Valeriy Vasilyevich was invited to lead the Belgian national team. So he has been living there for over 30 years. His son, Valery Dvoinikov Jr, is a professor of political science at the University of Liège. He helped me move to Belgium five months ago. We live in a village in the mountains. In the Ardennes. Not far from Liège, in the direction of Luxembourg. In a hotel that was given to a Ukrainian centre.
- Are there many Ukrainians there?
- 30-35 from different parts of the country. It is very beautiful here. Great views, fresh air. Three times a week we are taught French. It is difficult for me. In the province of Liege, people speak French and German. Not far from us there is a children's team and an artificial turf field. But this is not Prague - there is nothing to do. Perhaps I will eventually move to a bigger city. By the way, Andrii Gusin's parents live in Belgium now. In Antwerp. I communicate with them by phone.
Andrii Oksymets lives in Ghent with his family - he used to play for Zakarpattia, Kryvbas and a bit for the veterans. Also in Belgium is Serhii Serebrennikov, who played for Dynamo and Brugge and now works for a football agency. Former Dynamo captain Serhii Sydorchuk plays for Westerlo. Last year, Roman Yaremchuk played for Brugge, but now he is in Valencia. I follow his career a bit. I met Roman last October in Prague, when the Ukrainian national team played against North Macedonia. Before that, I talked to his dad.
- Have you been away from Ukraine for two years?
- Yes, I'm a bit heavy on the feet. But I'm going to come back in March. For two or three weeks. I miss Ukraine very much. I communicate with my friends. Russian bastards are bombing all the time. Odesa is suffering, Kryvyi Rih. Kyiv is more or less protected, but still gets hit. There are constant air raids. I'll come and see what's going on.
- Will you live with your niece?
- My niece sold her house and moved to Canada. Her son works there, he is an IT specialist. Her mother, my sister, is with me in Belgium. Perhaps she will also go to her daughter.
- So you have nowhere to live in Ukraine?
- I know a developer who promised me a one-room apartment in Vasylkiv. When it is finished. There is also an option to get housing in Brovary. Of course, I would like to have my own place.
- Did you manage to get a pension in Ukraine?
- No, I haven't. I played abroad for a while - in Germany and Israel. I don't know how to draw up documents for these years. I talked to Zavarov, and he's got a pension. It was 6-8 thousand hryvnias, now it's 11-13 thousand. And I don't want to waste my nerves on getting certificates.
- You have a daughter, Valeria. Have you already become a grandfather?
- Yes, my granddaughter will soon be 2 years old. Now they live in Chernivtsi, it's a bit calmer there. I regret that I didn't pay enough attention to my daughter at the time.
- You were born in the village of Velykyi Bychkiv. Did you know that after the defeat of the Hungarian regular army in March 1939, the soldiers of the Carpathian Ukraine, which had been proclaimed the day before, were fleeing from captivity and execution, and from your village they crossed the Tisza to Romania. Roman Shukhevych was among the soldiers, and he crossed the Tisza three times on his way back on business.
- I didn't know that. But yes, Velykyi Bychkiv is divided by the Tisza, and the Romanian part of the village is on the other side. The scenery there is beautiful. The mountains begin. Nearby is the Romanian village of Solotvyno, with salt mines. Not far away, in the village of Dilove, is the geographical centre of Europe, which was calculated by Austro-Hungarian geographers in the late nineteenth century. There is even a monument there.
- What do you dream about on the eve of your next birthday?
- For Ukraine to win and develop. I miss Kyiv very much. I have a lot of friends there. Every day is something new. Day after day flew by. I wanted to be healthy. In recent years, various sores began to appear. I almost stopped seeing with my left eye - cataracts. I had an operation and a crystal was inserted. Now the right eye needs to be treated as well. I had some stomach problems. But the main thing is that the war is over, so that our people stop dying.
- Do you remember your best birthday in life?
- In 1986, we were playing a match in the quarter-finals of the Cup Cup against Rapid. I made a double. I scored the first goal with my head in the 7th minute after a free kick from Vasia Ratz. And in the 32nd minute I scored again with my head, but this time from a Zavarov cross. I made myself a present for my 24th birthday. As a result, we defeated Rapid 5-1, and two months later Dynamo won the Cup.
Maksym ROSENKO
