Kryvbas Vice President: "To say that we are fighting for 2nd or 3rd place is to disrespect our fans. We are fighting for the cha

Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih vice-president Artem Gagarin spoke about the team's goals for the current season.

- "Kryvbas is very close to the European competitions. In which tournament do you dream of playing - the Champions League or the Conference League?

- Now to say that we are fighting for the second or third place is to disrespect our fans, the club staff and, of course, the team. "Kryvbas wants to be first and we are fighting for the championship. We are currently on track to achieve our goal, nothing is lost yet - we will fight until the last round.

"Kryvbas will definitely not do anything strange and try to take third place because it "guarantees something".

In general, we believe that this is a manifestation of foul play and such things should be punished by the relevant authorities so that there are no more such precedents in general.

- Are you not worried about the last year's experience of Dnipro-1, which qualified for the Champions League but slipped down to the Conference League and then dropped out of European competitions altogether?

- I will not be responsible for Dnipro-1. "Kryvbas is fighting for the highest places. Wherever we get there, we will play. Our task is to reach the European Cups and go as far as possible. Our coach has experience of successful performances in Europe - victories over Real Madrid and Shakhtar in the Champions League.

I hope that with the help of Yuriy Mykolayovych Vernydub, our fans and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, without whom we would not even have the opportunity to talk about football today, the team will achieve its goals step by step.

- Aren't you afraid that Vernydub might be stolen by our big players or European clubs after Kryvbas' successful season in the UPL?

- If they steal him, we will write a statement to the police so that Mykolaich is returned (laughs) . But seriously, Vernydub is a maximalist and he always achieves his goals. Now he, like all of us, has a goal that we are successfully moving towards.

- How much will Kryvbas' budget increase if it qualifies for the European competitions, do you plan to strengthen the management team at the club, and what are your plans to strengthen the team in general?

- There is a saying: "Prepare the sled in summer and the cart in winter". If we start preparing only when we reach the European competitions, it may be too late. We have been building a team for more than a year now, which, I hope, will not only represent Ukraine in European competitions with dignity, but also earn points in the UEFA coefficient table.

- Do you already have any transfer targets for the summer?

- Kryvbas CEO Volodymyr Bayenko has repeatedly said that our scouting department works 24-7. We are looking for players, some of whom have already signed preliminary contracts and will join us in the summer. Are they legionnaires or Ukrainians? Let it be a surprise.

- Which stadium do you consider as your home stadium for European competitions?

- We have a busy week in this regard. Today we had a meeting with representatives of one arena, tomorrow - with two. We are talking to German clubs about stadium leases. At the same time, we are working with other Ukrainian clubs that are also considering these arenas as home stadiums. There are a lot of nuances, but there is still time.

Let me tell you an interesting story. After the press reported that we were considering stadiums from Germany, a representative of Moldovan Zimbru contacted me on Instagram.

I didn't understand his position at the time, but he offered Kryvbas his stadium. As it turned out later, the president of Zimbru wrote to me. It was very nice that we met and talked.

Interestingly, the president of Zimbru is also from Kryvyi Rih, which was a pleasant surprise for us. I can say for sure that Zimbru fully supports Ukraine and helps us, and we are very grateful to them for that. We will establish relations with this club and play friendly matches, especially as it is not far to travel there.

Andriy Piskun