Famous Ukrainian coach Volodymyr Yezerstskyi had a contract with ‘Karpaty’ until June 30, 2026, but unexpectedly at the end of August, the agreement was terminated by mutual consent. In a conversation with a correspondent from Sport.ua, Volodymyr Yezerstskyi spoke about the reasons for ending his cooperation with the Lviv team:
Volodymyr Yezerstskyi— I was invited to ‘Karpaty’ by the former head coach Myron Markevych, for which I am grateful. It was agreed that I would combine my role as Myron Bohdanovych’s assistant with coaching duties for various age groups of the Ukrainian national teams. By the way, this was also the case in my previous team — ‘Oleksandriya’, where I assisted Ruslan Rotan.
I believe I worked quite successfully on two “fronts”: ‘Karpaty’ returned to the UPL after a long break, and the junior national team made it to the top four in Europe, earning a spot in the World Championship.
I learned about Myron Markevych’s resignation while I was with the junior national team. I called Bohdanovych, and he said that it was his decision and since I was under contract with ‘Karpaty’, I had to honor it. I then had a conversation with FC General Director Andrii Rusol, and when I inquired about my prospects, he replied that the club counted on me, and there was enough work for everyone.
— And you listened to Rusol and continued to work within the club structure while simultaneously assisting Dmytro Mykhailenko with the junior national team. What went wrong afterwards?
— On my part, I made maximum efforts to ensure there were no complaints against me, in particular, I am pleased that many representatives of ‘Karpaty’ are currently playing for various age groups of the Ukrainian national teams.
However, during the preparation for the new season, I felt that ‘Karpaty’ were no longer interested in my services. This could not continue for long. I initiated a meeting with ‘Karpaty’ owner Volodymyr Matkivskyi, explained my position, and it was decided to terminate our cooperation by mutual consent. There was no talk of any compensation. I thanked Matkivskyi for the opportunity to coach ‘Karpaty’, and we shook hands as a farewell.
— Perhaps you regret having turned down offers from ‘Bukovyna’ and ‘Oleksandriya’ a few months ago to lead those teams?
— No, because it could not happen. It’s one thing to be an assistant at the club level and with the national team, and quite another to be the head coach and be responsible for everything. I preferred to focus on preparing for change.
— What’s next?
— I am fully focused on working with the Ukrainian junior national team. Soon, at the end of September, a new challenge awaits — the start of the World Championship final in Chile. It will be interesting, as we have come a long way together over a year and a half.
— By the way, is it true that a few weeks ago, renowned specialist Egishe Melikyan, after taking over the Armenian national team, offered you to become his assistant?
— Yes, but I did not agree. Firstly, we are at war, and there would be significant problems with traveling abroad; secondly, I feel that working with the Ukrainian national teams of various ages is my calling.
— Where did your paths intersect with Melikyan?
— A few years ago, he was my assistant with the Ukrainian youth national team. As you can see, everything revolves around the national teams. That’s my fate.
