At the Marriott Hotel, the RFU staff began to catch up half an hour before the appointment. The first to arrive was President’s Security Advisor Nikolai Sorokin and quickly inspected the premises.
And after about three minutes, the director general Sergei Pryadkin came to the hotel. He went to a cafe and tried to order coffee. Surely, cappuccino - now it’s fashionable. But did not have time to drink. The boss arrived.
Vitaly Mutko's mood was unimportant. He immediately stated that the meeting with the players would be closed:
- I do not need PR.
One of the journalists tried to photograph the head.
“I will not pose for your newspaper,” grumbled Vitaly Leontyevich.
And then he carefully removed his face from the lens, hiding behind Pryadkin’s shoulder. He immediately became wider.
Football players gathered in the Sheremetyevsky hall. There, during the gathering, the team eats, but by 11 o’clock everyone had already had breakfast. The players sat peacefully at large white tables, on white chairs. The solemnity of mood was occasionally reinforced by strong yawns.
Suddenly, a masseur ran out of the room and began to call.
“Girl, connect me to the number! ..” he shouted into the receiver. - Vova, where are you? Now, girl, with the number ... Ivan, get down quickly!
A little later, the sleepy Igor Denisov and Vladimir Bystrov, and then Yuri Zhirkov and Ivan Saenko, reached the hall. There was a complete feeling that the army team had not woken up yet.
- Che? Where are we going? he asked the peppy Nuremberg footballer.
Journalists were waiting for the arrival of Mutko. It was already more than 11. But suddenly another employee of the national team flew out of the hall.
“The press cannot be here.” Leave, leave, leave - he frequented.
“Who decided that?” Main coach?
- Who cares who the head coach or Sidorov is? Go, go, go.
Going down in the lobby, everyone was surprised to see Guus Hiddink, who was drinking coffee - it is possible that Pryadkin did not get it.
“Dopra den,” he greeted the press, after which he decided to go and listen to Mutko.
The RFU President, having arranged such a commotion, spent only seven minutes with the team.
“We talked a lot,” he said nonetheless. - I was asked about the championship, about the fields. I said that now there are no weak opponents.
- Did you talk about money?
- Not. All this was decided at the first meeting, in ten minutes.
The most urgent was the question of Yegor Titov, who suddenly stopped playing in the national team. After all, we have not forgotten why he might suddenly leave the team.
- No no. Do not exaggerate the topic of Titov, ”Mutko protested. - He has family problems. The question of doping is not worth it.
That's always like that ...
Alexey Shevchenko