The scandal surrounding Serbian coach Zhelko Lyubenovich continues to develop. Recall that the 44-year-old specialist stated that he started receiving threats from agents who brought him to the position of coach of Poltava’s “Vorskla,” which forced him to leave not only this club but also Ukraine. Later, the names of these agents became known - they are Konstantin Lemishko and Yaroslav Zvarich. And now Zvarich has detailed the entire situation.
Zhelko Lyubenovich. Photo — fcminaj.com- On Thursday, [the head of the ethics and fair play committee of UAF] Andriy Davidenko called me and said that he wanted to summon me and Konstantin Lemishko for questioning regarding the situation with Lyubenovich, who claimed that he received threats.
I will say right away that this is outright slander. This did not happen and cannot happen on our part. I am not afraid of anything, I am ready to go to UAF and go through all the procedures. I will not allow my name to be involved in unclear stories.
In my 10 years of working in football, no player or coach has claimed that I press or threaten. This case is the first and, I believe, unfounded.
- Did you bring Lyubenovich to “Vorskla”?
- Yes. The situation was as follows. A long-time acquaintance called, who said that “Vorskla” needed to find a coach. I recommended Lyubenovich. Within a day, we did everything. I was with Lyubenovich and met with one of the leaders of “Vorskla”. Zhelko liked the project and the conditions that the club offered, and he immediately signed the contract.
- So why did Lyubenovich leave “Vorskla” without even working there for a month?
- Lyubenovich wanted the backbone of the team to remain: Perduhta, Sklyar, Nesterенко, Kulach. One of the directors of “Vorskla” told him: “If you want, negotiate with them. The club cannot meet their financial appetites.” Lyubenovich met with these players several times, but they couldn’t come to an agreement, they didn’t agree on the salary.
He called me and began to complain that he had no players. I remained calm, saying: “Zhelko, calm down, the UPL teams will return from their training camps soon, and there will be a chance to take someone on loan. You can also look at the youth.”
When it became clear that “Vorskla” was not doing well financially, we asked Zhelko Lyubenovich to work with the squad already in the club.
But as soon as the contract was signed, he began to insist on signing several new players—especially one he really wanted to see in the team. We repeatedly explained that this “special” player simply did not reach the level of the main team. The directors also told him that they did not see this player on the team because he had a high salary and would not help “Vorskla.” They came to this conclusion after watching this player in a friendly match.
At first, Lyubenovich agreed with us, but then he returned to this topic and stubbornly promoted this player.
This raised serious suspicions for us: could there be some not entirely clear story behind this? Is it an attempt to push through a dubious transfer?
Later, realizing that building a strong team without financial investments would not succeed, and that implementing under-the-table schemes in the club would not work, Lyubenovich decided to leave ahead of schedule. And instead of honestly saying that he could not cope, he began to hurl baseless accusations—claiming that he was being pressured and nearly threatened.
- Give a specific answer—did you intimidate him or not? Was there any tough conversation with Lyubenovich that he could perceive as a threat against him?
- Nothing of the sort happened. There was only one conversation about that football player whom Lyubenovich wanted to sign very badly.
Then Lyubenovich began calling me and saying that I had turned everyone in the club against this player. I added Lemishko to the conference call, and in the phone conversation, we talked about everything. We expressed our opinions, Lyubenovich expressed his. The conversation was heated, but there were no threats. Lyubenovich raised his voice at me, and Kostya, in turn, raised his voice at him. A normal work conversation. That’s it!
Work conversations in football can be emotional. But that doesn’t mean they involve threats. It’s a usual part of a lively professional discussion.
Two days later, it was Lyubenovich’s birthday, I congratulated him, he picked up the phone, and Lemishko also replied. But the next day, information appeared that he was leaving “Vorskla.”
- Who is this player that Lyubenovich wanted so much?
- I will not name the surname.
- Is he from UPL, a Ukrainian?
- Yes, a Ukrainian. I will say this: this person has been around, but has not really played anywhere.
- Is Lemishko your partner? Do you have agent licenses?
- No, neither Lemishko nor I have agent licenses. We are partners, but not agents, we simply consult players and collaborate with agents who have FIFA licenses.
- Did Lyubenovich or “Vorskla” pay you any money?
- Lyubenovich asked: “How much do I owe you for your work?” But we immediately replied that money did not interest us, we were simply giving him a chance to work, so he could make a name for himself in coaching: “Vorskla” is a good brand, and you can return the team to UPL by showing that you are a qualified coach.” “Vorskla” did not pay us anything either.
- What was your interest then, if not in money?
- This was simply help to our old friend who asked us to find a coach for “Vorskla.”
- Did you communicate with Lyubenovich after his interview where he spoke about threats?
- The last time I spoke with him was on his birthday. The next day I wanted to send one player to Lyubenovich, texted him, but he did not respond. Then the guys said that he was leaving the team. I also called Lyubenovich yesterday. I wanted to ask him about this situation. Maybe someone else threatened him, not us? I’m also curious how he interprets the word “threat,” perhaps in a different way? However, Lyubenovich did not pick up the phone, so the conversation did not take place.
- Why do you think Lyubenovich said he was threatened?
- I think he simply made up an excuse because he did not want to work with the players who were in “Vorskla” at that time. It is clear that players who came were not of the highest level, but there were promising ones that needed to be worked with and developed. And Lyubenovich wanted everything immediately.
At the tryouts in “Vorskla,” there was a defender from “Hirnyk-Sport,” Prince Chibuese. Lyubenovich doubted whether to take him or not, but Babich, after seeing the Nigerian in a two-sided match, immediately said to sign him.
I told Lyubenovich right away that I would not impose players: “Take whoever you want in the team, the main thing is to deliver results.”
- What will you do next?
- I will go to UAF, go through all the procedures and undergo a lie detector test. We also prepared a letter to UAF where we explained everything. I will defend my name until the end. Although I do not understand what the ethics and fair play committee has to do with it, since I am not a licensed agent.
We will also file a lawsuit against Lyubenovich in the civil court for slander. Let him answer for his words.
Oleksandr Kalinin
