A well-known Ukrainian journalist Mykola Nesenyuk dedicated a Facebook post to Kyiv's Obolon.
Mykola NeseniukThis term has been familiar to me since childhood. It used to be a derogatory term in our football for opponents who could be beaten with "one foot". There was even a saying that even the "brewery team" would definitely have at least one chance to score against the favorite.
Nowadays, the term "brewery team" has turned from abstract to concrete - it's Obolon from the northern outskirts of Kyiv, which by its very existence breaks a lot of concepts and stereotypes established in our football. Judge for yourself - back in the fall, numerous "experts" unanimously predicted Obolon's return to the lower league. The basis for such predictions was that the brewery's team was not "strengthened" in the summer as it should have been by numerous "downed pilots" and free Brazilian-Africans who now play even in the second league. Almost the same team that had won this right and with the same coach played against the strongest teams in Ukraine. It was believed that without "reinforcements" and with the lowest (according to rumors) salary in the league, Obolon was doomed to languish at the bottom of the table. Plus, the team owner's public refusal to "work" with our incorruptible referees. What chances could there be?
It turned out that Obolon has other advantages, the main one being its own stadium and loyal fans who have been supporting the team for the second decade. Some may smile - what other fans are there? Players, coaches and agents need more money! And these spectators are just an extra hassle! This is exactly how almost all new "football projects" work in Ukraine, where numerous "professionals" flock like flies to the money of a generous owner. But it didn't work - the elite was left behind by the cash-strapped Metalist, not the poor Obolon. It turns out that it is possible!
It should be noted that Obolon did not come to the current format immediately. During the team's first rise, its owner suffered from the same illnesses as all the other non-poor Ukrainians whose teams were making their way to the elite. There were "transfers" and loans, players and coaches with "names". All of this, as expected, went down the drain along with the money spent. The new Obolon did not suffer from this anymore. No one demanded quick success. Quite the contrary - it seemed that everyone was doing well. The team, with the owner's son in the lineup, played at their own stadium, gathering two or three thousand people. The coaches were their own - former players of the team. The staff is also local. It's like a small football family, where they don't claim to be great, but they know their job and do it right. There is no pressure on Obolon. The team is slowly writing its own history. A modest story, but its own! A history that is unlikely to be shared by numerous "projects" where players come in herds "for a task" and leave in herds. The Obolon Stadium has its own unique atmosphere: the owner does not sit in the box, but on the stand next to the rest of the spectators and with only one security guard. The line for beer under the stand is also a club where people discuss football. All our own, all together...
We need more "brewery teams" like this!
Mykola NESENYUK
