President of Inhulets Oleksandr Povoroznyuk frankly spoke about the situation regarding the transfer of five players to the U-19 team.
Oleksandr Povoroznyuk— Oleksandr Hryhorovych, what is the current situation with the four Inhulets players who were transferred to U-19 and want to terminate their contracts?
— They are currently under contract with Inhulets. As for what they are saying… They are receiving the salary that is stipulated in the contract. I do not know what they have made up.
— Kozyrenko and Melnychuk said they are receiving the "minimum wage" — 6,040 UAH per month.
— That is indeed the case. All Inhulets players' contracts stipulate the "minimum wage." Everything else was based on bonuses, which were taxable, etc.
— The footballers said they would appeal to the UAF Dispute Resolution Chamber to unilaterally terminate their contracts with Inhulets.
— Let them submit! I will gladly participate in the dispute and prove that the footballers must fulfill the conditions of the contract.
— So what’s the problem? Why did Kobin transfer them to U-19?
— All questions go to the coach; I demand results from him. He says that this is a problem at the moment. I do not interfere and never dictate who should be in the starting lineup.
— Kozyrenko said he approached you and you told him that they "should go to Kobin and beg on their knees to return to the squad." Did that happen?
— It was a bit different. They approached, but I told them that all questions should go to the coach: "Go to him and ask what the issue is. He will give you an answer." If Kobin decided so, then there are reasons for that.
— Well, did Kobin explain to you why he transferred them to U-19, or did you not ask?
— Well, I asked, of course. He said they are not training at full strength. It is obvious.
Let me give you an example. During a training session, the team captain Kozak had someone from the youth incorrectly pass the ball. He took off his boots, took them off, and left. The coach asks, "Where are you going?" — "My leg hurts." He went to the doctor, and the doctor said he was perfectly fine.
The next day Kozak was already preparing for football. Well, what would you do in Kobin's place if the team captain behaved like that? The captain should be an example for the team.
— What do you plan to do with these players that Kobin transferred to U-19?
— They cannot unilaterally terminate the contracts, as all contractual conditions are being fulfilled. For me, it is nonsensical that a UAF lawyer is working with them. A UAF lawyer should not deal with players but with problems in Ukrainian football. And she talked them into fairy tales and called my director: "Let's resolve this issue amicably, talk to the president."
They understand perfectly well that they can't terminate contracts unilaterally, but she promised this to the footballers and took the money. And she does not officially represent their interests, as she has no rights as a UAF lawyer, but took a kind of subcontract to resolve everything in the Dispute Resolution Chamber: "I will resolve everything, just don’t say that I represent you." We will see how it goes further.
— As far as I understand, Kobin does not count on these players. Does Inhulets need them then?
— These are working processes of the coach, which I do not interfere with. If Kobin says tomorrow that he needs them, then there are no questions—let them play. I relate to this calmly. There is a task—take them and fulfill it; if you don’t fulfill it—I'll remove the coach. Everything is very simple.
— How do you evaluate the first part of the season for Inhulets?
— Negatively! There are no results! I paid out money, gave bonuses. But in the last month, I said: "Guys, let’s look at the standings and answer the question: do you deserve this money?" Every person should earn their money, not just receive it. My tractor driver earns 20−30 thousand hryvnias, yet he labors day and night. And you, good-for-nothings, get 50−70 thousand for what?! And there are no results.
Footballers keep telling me that they need to feed their families. But I spend my money, day in and day out, I pay, yet I don’t get any satisfaction. So why am I paying money? You get paid for results. That is why I advocate for contracts to have minimum salaries, and together with bonuses, you can get in hand 100, or even 200 thousand.
— What do you say about Kobin? Do you regret appointing him as head coach?
— For now, I will not say anything. I will watch him for a little longer, and then I will make conclusions.
Andriy Piskun
