Famous coach and now expert Oleg Fedorchuk spoke about whether the merger of the Lviv teams "Karpaty" and "Rukh" for the upcoming season was unexpected for him, as well as whether it would benefit Ukrainian football.
Oleg Fedorchuk
— This is one of those cases where there is no smoke without fire. A few years ago, the owner of "Rukh", Grigory Kozlovsky, was not against selling the countryside club base, where the academy was located in Vinniki. It is not excluded that the Lviv businessman overvalued its cost, and then the deal with a potential buyer — FC "Shakhtar" — did not take place. Last year, the situation at "Rukh" worsened due to salary debts, which indicated financial problems of the club. Apparently, Kozlovsky was looking for a way out of this difficult situation.
— Do you think this merger will help Lviv football as a whole?
— Unlikely. There has already been a merger of "Karpaty" and SCA, which did not bring any dividends. Currently, there were two combat-ready teams in the capital of Galicia, and now there will only be one.
— And at the level of all Ukraine?
— This also results in reputational losses. For a long time, the "Rukh" academy was considered one of the best in Europe, and the project, which was once perceived as a forge of football talents, can now be considered unsuccessful. This will make those patrons who were ready to invest in the development of football infrastructure hesitate before making a decision. Perhaps Kozlovsky simply overestimated his capabilities, and it was not worth starting this project on such a scale.
— In your opinion, were financial problems the only reason for the merger negotiations with the owner of "Karpaty" Vladimir Matkovsky?
— Yes, disappointment with "Rukh's" results in the current championship is evident. And talks about possible changes in the team management do not happen in a vacuum either. Although "Rukh" is a unique team that is nowhere near like other clubs in Ukraine. Perhaps the club slowed down its pace, but do not forget that the team was built around young footballers who formed the basis of the youth national team of Ukraine. Another point: Kozlovsky probably expected that this project would start to bring profit from player sales, which, unfortunately, did not happen. "Rukh" did not reach the level of European cups, so it was impossible to expect significant profits.
— Can we expect that "Karpaty" will soon strengthen with players from "Rukh"?
— Since after the merger Lviv will only represent "Karpaty" in the next season, "Rukh" may transfer its best players to "Karpaty" as early as January.
— Which players could help "Karpaty"?
— In defense — Alexei Sych and Roman Didyk, in midfield — Ilya Kvasnitsa, in attack — Igor Krasnopir. I also recommend Bogdan Slyubik, but Kiev's "Dynamo" has already taken notice of him.
However, this merger will add headaches for UPL and PFL. After all, "Rukh" will be eliminated from the elite division on a sporting basis, and it is also unclear whether the club's second team, "Rukh-2", will continue to play. Kozlovsky stated that it would not affect the academy's work, but it is unclear whether there will be financial support from "Karpaty". However, it is obvious that a whole group of coaches will be left without work.
— It is likely that in summer "Karpaty" will want to strengthen with players from "Rukh", nurtured by head coach Vitaly Ponomarev. Will there be a conflict here, will the newcomers accept the coaching ideas of "Karpaty" coach Vladislav Lupashko?
— In this case, the best option would be to invite a neutral specialist, especially given that "Karpaty" and "Rukh" adhere to different playing styles. The decisive word will belong to the president of "Karpaty", Matkovsky. However, I would like to wish him to avoid mistakes like the appointment of Vladislav Lupashko, when one of the best coaches in the history of Ukrainian football, Miron Markevich, was literally expelled from "Karpaty".
— Do you think Lviv can become the third force in Ukrainian football next season?
— I don’t think so. The prospects for the same "Alexandria" are better, despite the fact that "Karpaty" has a much larger budget. Moreover, there are ambitious clubs like Zhytomyr, Kryvyi Rih, and Cherkasy.
Andrey Pisarenko
