2006 was a successful year for the Krasnodar "Kuban". The team confidently went the distance in the first division, long before the finish line secured a promotion in the class and only in the last rounds allowed itself to bypass another triumph of the season - Khimki near Moscow. In the offseason, the leadership of the “Kuban” was busy preparing for a performance at a new level, although it was not without the usual struggle for power in such cases.
In particular, now the CEO was appointed not by Oleg Deripaska's group of companies, but by the regional administration. The former head of Kuban Maxim Remchukov remained in the club as chairman of the board of directors. But it’s Remchukov who can be considered the leader who in recent years determined the working policy of Kuban. As part of the 2: 1 program, Alexander Shmurnov and Alexei Andronov are talking with him.
- You are a representative of a new wave of Russian football management . Its main feature is that people who head football clubs are managers, not former players or coaches.
- Indeed, I have recently been in the football industry. First of all, I’m a manager and I can manage any enterprise, including a football team. I could work as the director of an alumina plant in Jamaica, but I love football - and that is why I am here.
- A person who can manage anything should strive for the effectiveness of his activities, and modern football in our country has not yet brought profit. Why are managers doing it? Why do big owners invest in it, that is, those people who hire managers?
- World-class companies with multimillion-dollar turnover now invest in football: Gazprom, Sibneft, LUKOIL, Russian Railways (Russian Railways), Norilsk Nickel. It is the participation of large capital that ensures success. We can say that CSKA no longer enjoys the direct support of big business, but the club took the main step at a time when Sibneft invested huge money in it. Current shareholders can attract various sources of financing, but the success achieved by CSKA through the participation of Sibneft cannot be underestimated.
- So all the same, why do these large companies invest in football?
- In each case, different factors influence the decision to sponsor a club. In the situation with Russian Railways, it is more or less clear: Lokomotiv, in fact, is the brainchild of the company, and earlier, the Ministry of Railways. Spartak’s sponsorship is a personal project of Leonid Fedun, one of LUKOIL’s co-owners, his own money works in the club. In addition to personal interest, there is always a political aspect. Then, most often, the volume of investments in football is not very noticeable against the background of the budgets of giant monopolies - I mean the cases with Lokomotiv or Zenit. Let’s say that raising tariffs for rail transportation increases Lokomotiv’s budget by at least 1% by $ 20-25 million.
- Now let's talk about the Kuban. As a provincial team, it is also financed from the regional budget. But in your case, the scheme already resembles the capital.
- There was a “Kuban” model of 2003, which reached the Premier League. The club was financed at that time by the administration of the Krasnodar Territory. At the beginning of the new season in the Premier League, it became clear that the governor alone could not pull the team. During this period, the salaries of football players increased markedly in Russia, serious legionnaires appeared, such as Olic and Yaroshik in CSKA. The costs for the football team became public, it was necessary to attract money of a completely different scale and according to other schemes, and to invite professionals to manage. Krasnodar residents turned to Oleg Deripaska, who has several projects in the Kuban. He became a shareholder of the club, owner of 50% of the shares. Oleg does not like football much, but he was approached as a fellow countryman with a request for help. After all, “Kuban” came out for the first time in 20 years in the Premier League.
- What is happening now? It is known that the share of Deripaska’s financing is reduced to 35%, that is, in fact, the region again takes the club into its own hands. As proof, your new status: you were the CEO, and you became the chairman of the board of directors, taking a more formal post. They say that the administration of the region is unhappy with what has happened in the club in recent years.
- Since the “Kuban” is financed by two shareholders, it is logical that the one whose equity participation is greater has more rights. Since 2007, the administration of the Krasnodar Territory has a greater share. Accordingly, operational management passes to the manager whom the regional administration wants to see. I associate with Oleg Deripaska and his leadership. At the same time, my current status is not at all formal, although of course there is less responsibility. The Board of Directors will meet regularly and request a report from the Director General, from the coaching staff. That is, this body is quite efficient and necessary. Enemies can say anything, but the club has been funded and managed by Deripaska for the past two years. I was fully responsible for the funds that are spent and for the tasks that were set. We completed the task: Kuban is in the Premier League again, and it’s very difficult to leave the first division.
- In the past two years, “Kuban” has been exposed not only and not so much due to the game itself, but because of all kinds of scandals: withdrawing points, then returning, refusing to go to the match, debt to CSKA for the football player .
- It is necessary to disassemble each case separately. For example, about debt: we with CSKA President Eugene Giner personally agreed on installment payments, but since Kuban flew back to the first division and funding was reduced, it became too difficult to execute the contract. We had been negotiating a deferment for a long time, and just then they wanted to deprive us of 18 points, but the situation was decided, and everything fell into place.
- You did not harbor grudges against Eugene Giner? In the December election of the president of the Premier League, you voted for his rival, the head of Saturn, Mikhail Vorontsov.
- Firstly, we agreed so from the very beginning - that the head of the league changes every year, and the agreement must be followed. Secondly, it’s better for the league that the president is not the head of the champion club, but the team fighting to upgrade their status, such as Saturn. And finally, a new leader is always a perspective for the organization.
- You were not surprised that the only doping test in the first division was carried out at the Kuban match?
- Not. We claimed the championship, and it was completely normal.
- And what is the story of the mass poisoning of players?
- Performance in the first division is similar to a marathon. A lot of flights across the country, a lot of games, a constant change of scenery and conditions, which, alas, do not always comply with hygiene standards. Therefore, even food poisoning is possible.
- Comment on the allegations of a contractual game with the team of Belgorod .
- It was not clear to me by what criteria our match was selected for special viewing. We beat Salyut-Energy from Belgorod 3-0 at home. The Kuban is obviously stronger, so the away victory could not serve as a reason for suspicion. We and other teams away won big. By the way, as you know, the expert commission of the Russian Football Union (RFU) watched the match and found no collusion.
- And how did you feel about the conclusions of the public expert council, which was assembled by Soviet Sport? This council includes respected people: Igor Shalimov, Nikolai Pisarev and others.
- I saw in this whole story the desire of “Soviet Sport” to unleash the situation, giving it a touch of yellowness. If all this was taken seriously, then it was necessary to complete the matter - go to the expert council of the RFU with evidence. But it turned out that people gathered in the editorial office and, smoking through their knees, discussed whether there was an agreement or not an agreement. A similar situation was encountered during the match CSKA - Rostov. Everyone was discussing the game: fans, specialists, and journalists. The match was broadcast on national television, but not a single public organization took the liberty of proving that there was a conspiracy. The RFU did not even convene an expert council. If rules exist, they should apply to everyone.
- And why do you think it is Kuban that causes such interest?
“I think some people don't like what we do.” A lot of money is coming into our football now, and for certain, someone might not like the Kuban’s entry into the Premier League.
“ You say to someone.” So, you were looking, but did not find an external enemy?
“I am not saying that there is an external enemy.” I say that since there is no clarity, then there are all kinds of suspicions that fall, including on the president of the league, who has administrative powers. There were precedents. For example, 18 points were removed from our team. We had to turn to the RFU, Vitaly Mutko intervened in the dispute. It turned out that you can’t remove points from the team without considering the appeal. We went all the way, there is a FIFA decision on this issue. Points are taken off as a last resort when resolving financial issues. When glasses are removed, they have a direct effect on the sports component. There were FIFA clarifications that we did not take into account in our regulations. The fact that we went to the end and defended our interests, many might not like.
- With access to the Premier League, you will switch to another system of relationships. She is probably even more difficult than in the first division?
- In the UK, and in Spain, and in Italy, and in France, clubs are fighting among themselves on all fronts. This is called competition. It seems to me that Russia will not leave this relationship anywhere. The Premier League in this sense is a special clan. In general, our Premier League is cut off from the rest of the divisions. This happened as a result of the 2001 reform. I'm not talking about grudges right now. Although it turned out that some earn money, while others get out as they can. It’s not a matter of personal ambitions, just such a situation is wrong. Any decision is made in the interests of the elite league, and the rest of the clubs confront the fact, forgetting that the first and second division are almost 100 teams representing all of Russia. Say, the transition to the new calendar is not discussed together with the clubs of the first and second division. The Premier League makes money, and the rest of the teams are constantly withdrawn from the championship due to insufficient funding. In a good way, the league should be one. We need to figure out how to earn money for all divisions. In the UK, there is a sponsor in the first division, in Russia you can also create something similar. After all, the minor league does not earn anything at all. It is good that the NTV-plus channel began broadcasting the first division; interest and responsibility of the teams immediately appeared: now at least someone can see them.
- Recently, managers of a new wave have worked in the Premier League clubs and in the Russian national team. You started, in fact, simultaneously with many of them. However, not everyone was entrenched in football, and with those who are now outside of football, for a number of reasons, no one wants to work anymore. Are you ready to go this route to the end and prove your worth?
- I am always ready to go to the end. I love football and I think that in the Premier League there are still changes for the better. In my opinion, if in addition to the governor, administrative resource and Oleg Deripaska, new financial and organizational forces come to the team, we will only benefit from this. The new CEO needs help. I know from my own experience that sometimes there are not enough hours in a day for current work. Now we have a common task - the success of the team. Kuban need to gain a foothold in the Premier League. I want to save my children so that they grow up as professionals: Oleg Ivanov, Alexander Orekhov, Renat Yanbaev, Robert Zebelian and others. This year will be decisive for Kuban. And I hope that the new forces that appear around the club will greatly help us move forward.