— Anton, you defend our country from Russia. Tell us how you learned about the merger of «Karpaty» and «Rukh»?
— I learned about it from social networks, where «Karpaty» started publishing announcements. At first, I didn’t see this news, but my friends on Facebook began to spread this information. That’s how I learned about this event.
— What was your reaction?
— It was such unexpected news for me because beforehand «Rukh» was a team that competed with «Karpaty» in Lviv, and with the start of the season in the Ukrainian Premier League. And the news that «Karpaty» was absorbing «Rukh» was a surprise for me.
— In your opinion, why did Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi take such a step?
— Most likely, the trigger was his business problems and insufficient funds to maintain such a club at a high level. I think that this situation of being unable to finance was the main reason for this step.
— Are you for or against the merger with «Rukh»?
— Look, it’s not that «Karpaty» will cease to exist, but «Rukh». Therefore, I cannot be dissatisfied that, conditionally speaking, the «Lions» are getting additional opportunities for team composition, resources, and material base for the club’s development. For me, this is positive.
— If former players who once moved to «Rukh» return to «Karpaty», how will fans who didn’t greet them very warmly in previous matches perceive this?
— For fans, the team’s game and its results are important. Accordingly, if these players return to «Karpaty» and show a high level of play, and if this benefits the club, then I don’t think this will be a big trigger for the fan community.
Andrii Pavlechenko
Anton Petritskyi
