In the square near the theater, girls in CSKA uniform rode horses to music. The police, cordoning off a small territory, made sure that the animals (on which the girls were sitting) did not interfere with anyone.
“You don’t have to go here,” they stopped the people who had come to the awards ceremony. “You do not want to fall under the hooves?” Get around.
Fans looked thoughtfully at the horses (or at the girls).
“These Maccabi would have won,” someone muttered, unclear to whom — girls or horses — meaning.
The defeat in the UEFA Cup spoiled the holiday a little. Everyone was a little cocked. Eugene Giner, answering the question of one girl, could not resist when asked about the mood in the team.
- Great mood. They learned the dance "seven forty" in Israel. Yesterday we went to the club, practiced it. Everyone laughed, it was very good.
In the foyer of the theater, fans of red-blue, having seen Sergei Kushchenko and Viktor Tikhonov, rushed to take pictures with them. No one refused, and there were not very many people. By the way, there were empty seats in the hall. Not so much that you can talk about failure, but still there were.
Kushchenko, Tikhonov, and Giner gathered in the central box. They talked about something of their own, army. On an even more honorable place (almost in the booth) came RFU President Vitaly Mutko.
- Where did you put me somewhere? - he turned to Eugene Giner. - What am I supposed to do here?
“Well, it’s not me who allocates the seats,” the president of CSKA modestly looked down. - I have a special person for this.
Mutko looked with some envy at Yevgeny Lennorovich. CSKA led 1-0.
“You know, let me go to the front row,” suggested Vitaly Leontyevich. - I'll sit there. “Busy,” Giner spread his hands. - Football players are already sitting there. You can, of course, sit on their knees. But they may misunderstand.
“Ah,” Mutko waved his hand.
- What? - the president of PFC CSKA was surprised. - In such a situation, it is unlikely that it will compromise.
The score was 2-0 in favor of CSKA.
“You know what,” Mutko suddenly became serious. - The list of guests who can be put in the box does not include Mikhail Vorontsov (RFPL president - A.Sh.). I have to invite him. Here it is, the speaker stands.
Eugene Giner sent a specially trained person for Vorontsov. He gladly accepted the invitation.
“Hello, I'm glad to see you,” the league leader's voice did not contain sincerity when he hugged Giner. - What next week?
“Yes, we’ll phone, we’ll meet,” the army leader nodded.
The award ceremony was led by Alexander Pryanikov. He called Vitaly Mutko to the stage like some Dima Bilan, almost bouncing. It should be noted that the head of the RFU was not booed. And he finished a short speech (in which for some reason it was not indicated how many fields have been spread to date) with a homework:
“Nothing worked out with UEFA this year,” he smiled. - But in the autumn, the Champions League draw starts. And the final will be held in Moscow. So we wish the CSKA team a successful performance in the tournament.
- Do you mean that the army team should play the final on their field? - a little taken aback, asked Pryanikov.
“Yes,” Mutko announced. And he waited for the standing ovation.
Football players for rewarding were taken to the stage on large motorcycles. Everyone easily endured a short trip. Evgeni Aldonin was a little embarrassed when “Evgeni Nachalov” began to chant in the hall. But it’s nothing.
Evgeny Giner and Valery Gazzaev arrived directly on the scene in beautiful cars from the Civil War.
“Like in the film Seventeen Moments of Spring,” Pryanikov said with envy, confusing a little.
There was only Wagner Love. Instead, the medal went to get Dudu. The Brazilian very successfully began to copy the clubfoot gait of the striker. Vitaly Mutko, seeing this, for some reason sat down and spread his hands. What did he want to portray? It seemed like a hockey goalkeeper in front of the shootout.
The performance of actress Natalia Selezneva turned out to be emotional.
“I visited the president on February 22 (neither Giner nor Mutko),” she almost shouted. - And then turned on the TV in the evening. And, looking at the game, my poems were born.
Everyone was scared. Looking at that game, any lines could appear from under the pen. It is possible that not entirely censored.
But no. Natalia Selezneva declared that CSKA is a great club. And all fans should understand this and remember. Valery Gazzayev could not stand it and gave the actress a bouquet of flowers, which he was given along with a gold medal. The folk artist presented the text of the verses to the most active fan.
The rest of the performances were not so emotional. But the meaning remains the same.
Alexey Shevchenko