The head coach of Odesa's Chornomorets, Oleksandr Kuchер, spoke about the future of his club, which after the results of the Ukrainian championship for the 2024/25 season was relegated to the First League.
Oleksandr Kuchер— Oleksandr Mykolayovych, have you decided on your future at Chornomorets?
— Look, I still have a contract for another year, so we are preparing the team, forming the coaching staff.
— As for your coaching staff, is it fully formed yet? It was written that you allegedly refused the services of your assistant — Anatoliy Didenko.
— Andrii Dikan will definitely join us — the goalkeeping coach. Perhaps we will add a fitness coach to our staff. Currently, my staff at Chornomorets consists of Taras Hvozdyk, Oleksandr Prizetko, and Oleksandr Hrytsay. We are also waiting for Dikan.
As for Didenko, he was already in the team when I took over. I thought that's how it should be. But the president said — no, Didenko will work elsewhere. As I understood it, he was transferred to the youth team. So it was not my decision, but the management’s.
— Will Yaroslav Rakitskyi remain with Chornomorets for the next season? Have you talked to him about this matter?
— Yes, I spoke to Yaroslav about this. He said he is not opposed to staying at Chornomorets and helping him in the First League.
— What is the current situation regarding debts in the team?
— I had a conversation with the club management before the last round of the Ukrainian championship. They told me that by the first days of June, all debts would be settled. They assured me that everything would be fine.
— It was also reported that Chornomorets will definitely part ways with several players: Artur Rudyko, Bohdan Butko, Ion Shporn, and Denys Bezborodko. How true is this?
— Somehow it is indeed the case. There was a conversation with the president regarding the personnel situation, and it was decided that these players would leave Chornomorets.
— I understand that Chornomorets will be a different team in terms of personnel in the new season. Is the club’s scouting department already working on finding reinforcements for the team?
— The scouting department is working, I am working. We are looking for players. We need to form a new team. Last season we had many loaned players. The guys you mentioned earlier will also leave the team. Therefore, we are working hard to form a capable unit for the new season that can address the tasks at hand.
— I want to give you credit, as not every coach will dare to take over a team that is being relegated in the middle of the season and try to save it. Is the main reason for the failures of Chornomorets the psychology (I mean the constant pressure of results) or the accelerated personnel formation?
— You know, it’s hard to say anything. Of course, I analyzed the reasons. I think that all the problems accumulated together and this prevented us from demonstrating a higher level of play. We needed to restore the players’ confidence, instill in them the belief that they could still play football. But, as we see, the physical condition of the players, the same personnel issue (the team was gathered very quickly, as I understand) played against us.
However, I saw that it was possible to reach many of the guys, they regained their confidence in their abilities. The team had a different state at the end of the season. The most important thing was to convey to them the idea that they can play football and should not be afraid of anyone.
— The goal for the new season for Chornomorets is simple — to return to UPL?
— Based on the conversation with the club management, yes — that is it. I would like to hear specifics about the future. The main thing is that everything is stable within the team. Currently, that is one of the main problems of Ukrainian clubs — the lack of stability. Although everything is built on that.
Vladyslav Liutostanskyi
