Igor Belanov: "Star" disease at the European Championship does not pass"

Legendary forward of Dynamo Kyiv Igor Belanov shared his opinion about the first match of the Ukrainian national team at Euro-2024.

- Shortly before the start of the European Championship in one of my comments I warned that the main thing at tournaments of this scale is the microclimate in the team, the concentration of players and the inadmissibility of manifestation of "star" disease. If there is no microclimate, there will be no result. And "stardom" at the World and European Championships does not pass.

And what did we see in the game with the Romanians? This is exactly what is called "star disease". It can be traced in half of our "cool" players. It is regrettable, but few people want to do the rough work. And someone has to work, to do the job! I apologize, but 0:3 from Romania is disrespect not only to millions of Ukrainians who suffer from the war, but also to the coach and ourselves. Before the start of the continental championship, various publications appeared in the media, which clearly overpraised the players of our national team. And you can not do that, you can not! We need restraint in assessments, so that people in the national team were as one. If this does not happen - nothing will work out.

- During the period of the USSR national team's performance at the European Championship in 1988, was the microclimate all right?

- Of course. Valeri Lobanovsky, who was an authority for everyone, had no favorites. He did not have any "cool", trump cards - there were none! Hence the result - both in Dynamo and in the USSR national team. Winning silver medals at the 1988 European Championship in the company of other powerful national teams is worth a lot. Back then we didn't think only about money, we realized that we were playing for the honor of our country.

And now everything is different. "Star" disease, which has swiruzhiruetsya players, apparently, does not give them rest. One is sold for millions, then the other. So they are counting these millions and not playing. What did we see yesterday in the Munich match? It was not soccer, but a frankly weak game. This is not some toys, but the European Championship! Here you need to fight, give yourself in every match from the first to the last second. Just like the Romanians did! Frankly speaking, I am shocked by what happened. I obviously did not expect this. Especially since I warned the players against all this. It's a shame. Very offensive.

- And now what?

- I hope that after such a resounding defeat to the Romanians, many of our players will come down to earth and start playing soccer, not thinking about money. And also we should not forget about our country, which is now suffering from the brutal rage of the aggressor country. I am reminded of 1986, the final match of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with Atletico Madrid. Do you remember what it was like in Ukraine then?

- Of course. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant...

- Here we go. Chernobyl. We were told about this man-made disaster before the match. After that, the guys were ready to give the fight all their strength without a trace, to "tear" the opponent. At stake was not only the sporting honor of the country, but also the moral support of the people. We then defeated the Spaniards 3:0, worthily doing our job. And there was no such thing as we won the Cup Winners' Cup and now we are all "cool". No! Absolutely not! We wanted to achieve something in this life, we were striving for something.

And if the current national team players are not turned on by such a soccer forum as the European Championship, I apologize. Especially when the defeat with a large score is suffered from Romania, and not from some soccer grandee. What else does it say? Exactly what I said above - the lack of microclimate and the presence of a "star" in a number of players.

And if in the next two matches - against Slovakia and Belgium - there will be no reassessment of values and attitude to their professional duties, then what can we talk about?

- What do you say about the opponents Ukraine will play in the group?

- There can be no weak teams at the European Championship a priori. Each opponent has paved the way to the final part of the championship with a confident game in the qualifying cycle, which we saw in the games of Slovakia and Belgium. Both of these teams proved their level.

And if someone gave the role of unconditional favorite to the Belgians, then after yesterday's defeat to the Slovaks, the accents in the group have changed somewhat. The Romanians' victory over our team also changed them. This means that the fight in the group will be unpredictable.

Today the Ukraine national team should forget about yesterday's failure and prepare for the game with Slovakia with all responsibility. Each of the players of the blue-and-yellow team must strictly adhere to the requirements of the coaching staff headed by Serhiy Rebrov. This coach has been working with the national team for only a year and is doing everything possible for its progress and achievements. Therefore, despite the misfire in a particular match, I would like to support him.

I know that he will be able to overcome this difficult test together with his charges, and despite the criticism, to move forward. Footballers after the loss to Romania must support their coach, because there is a lot at stake. I would like our national team players not to think about future club affairs, but to focus solely on the national team. And we should remember that there is nowhere to retreat.

Oleg DIDUKH