On the eve of his departure for Holland, Izvestia correspondent Mikhail Shpenkov spoke with Korneev.
- After so many years of living in Western Europe, you do not feel like a foreigner in Moscow?
“No, that certainly will never happen!” I remain a citizen of Russia both on the passport and in my heart. Although in the past 10 years he has been to Moscow infrequently, but because of this the changes in it have always been felt tangibly. It’s hard for me to believe that prices in our capital are higher than in any city in the same Holland. And about traffic jams and say nothing! More than once had to go down because of them in the subway. But these are inevitable problems of the metropolis. In general, Moscow has become much brighter and more elegant, which prettyly pleased me.
- Where do you usually live when you come to Russia to work with the national team?
- Last year, at first I stayed at the Ararat Khayyat Hotel. After all, Guus Hiddink and his wife also live in it. So I tried to help them quickly get used to the new city. In autumn, when I arrived in Moscow, I was already heading to my apartment.
- How did your loved ones react to moving to Russia?
- No problem. My common-law wife Emma is an Englishwoman, but at one time she easily got used to Holland. She is an open, sociable person. And Emma has already lived in Russia for several months - she really liked our country.
- Guus Hiddink calls his right hand in the coaching staff of the national team of Alexander Borodyuk. Won't you get hurt if someone calls Korneev "Hiddink's left hand"?
“No, especially since I heard that Hiddink is actually left-handed.” Just kidding, of course. The current subordination at our headquarters completely suits me. After all, the same Borodyuk has significantly more experience in coaching.
- And what, by the way, do you have a professional license now?
- I miss one exam to get the first coaching category. I hope to pass it in Russia. And then you can already think about the Pro category.
- Three coaches of the Russian national team do not have a common language that each of them would speak. How do you communicate when discussing match plans?
- Now for the national team coaches, the language of international communication is German. Both Hiddink and Borodyuk are well-versed in it. And although I hardly speak it, I understand everything quite well.
- You used to be in the Netherlands not only in coaching, but also in business. Has your real estate activity been phased out?
- The time to seriously engage in it now, of course, is almost gone. But over eight years of living in Holland, I have formed a circle of people whom you can trust. And I arranged with them to conduct my business.
- Has your business ever had problems with taxes?
- Not. But for obvious reasons, I do not want to comment on the situation with Guus Hiddink. Moreover, taxes from individuals and legal entities, as they say, are two big differences.
- “The Hiddink Case”, which is being heard these days in Den Bosch, somehow influences the situation around the upcoming match?
Each of the national team coaches is doing everything to ensure that our team is properly prepared for the game. We are working now according to a preplanned plan. And in Holland the atmosphere around the match is wonderful - purely football. Indeed, in this country, every match of her team is a big event. Moreover, now she has to play with the team led by Guus Hiddink. He is still very popular in his homeland. I am sure that the game in Amsterdam will bring together almost full stands.
- When determining the composition of our team, you don’t have a shortage of cool players?
- I am convinced that in such a huge country as Russia, there should be more domestic football players playing at a high level. Yes, the limit on foreigners is gradually becoming tougher, but in the main team and now it’s enough to have only four citizens of Russia. Therefore, the list of candidates for the national team is not as wide as we would like.