He explained why Roman Eremenko moved to Spartak and not to the army club.
— Roman Eremenko’s parents are surprised why CSKA is still silent and does not clarify the situation in any way...
- I'll explain. We think this situation has been blown out of proportion. Therefore, they deliberately did not want to comment on it, so as not to escalate the situation again and, first of all, not to harm the player himself. But now, when things have almost reached the point of accusations against CSKA, I consider it necessary to clarify.
I immediately want to emphasize that we do not agree with the terms “traitor” and “traitor” in relation to Roman. Such words are simply inappropriate in this situation.
- However, Eremenko will play in Spartak, and not in CSKA.
I can’t say that we are very upset by this fact, but we are definitely surprised. Roman's decision seems to us at least strange and unexpected. We fought for him until the very end in the UEFA disciplinary bodies and supported him as best we could.
They did not apply to him the significant penalties provided for in the contract in such cases. Although it is difficult to overestimate the damage - both sporting, reputational, and financial - that was caused to the club by this whole unpleasant story. In addition, one must take into account the considerable compensation that CSKA once paid to Rubin for Eremenko’s transfer.
— Could CSKA sue Eremenko, as Chelsea tried to do in relation to Mutu?
- Yes, we could do it. Moreover, the fine was large. That is, this is not even a subject of discussion - everything was spelled out in the contract. But we thought that this was wrong. Anyone can stumble. We tried to support Roman as best we could. And from a moral point of view, they provided legal assistance. Now Eremenko’s action was surprising, to put it mildly. We, of course, did not expect such a turn.
— Was there an agreement that Eremenko would return to CSKA?
— In the winter of this year, we actually began substantive negotiations with Eremenko on the renewal of the contract, when we learned that Roman intended to return to big-time football. The meetings began. At a certain stage, it seemed to us that we had agreed in principle on everything. Moreover, the head coach and team leaders personally communicated with Eremenko, expressed their full support and desire to continue working together, no matter what.
— Why didn’t you come to an agreement with Eremenko?
— Apparently, the decisive factor was the financial factor. Although I don't think there was a huge difference in the proposals. But... In principle, there is nothing wrong with this. However, it seems to us that in this situation it would be much more important for Eremenko to resume his career where there are more prerequisites - where he already has established relationships with his teammates, where Gancharenko worked together, and the personnel situation at this position. And, of course, it is difficult to overestimate the support of the fans when a person returns after such a disqualification. In my opinion, this is very, very important. I no longer take into account any moral and ethical aspects.
“At the same time, Roman’s parents claim that for two years CSKA had practically no contact and did not support their son.
“I perfectly understand the emotions of Roman’s mother, who is perplexed when his son is now insulted and accused of betrayal. This is unacceptable! Not the same situation. No one, as they say, took a blood oath.
But we constantly communicated with Eremenko, and in the winter we actively negotiated with him. In principle, until recently they continued in one form or another. We exchanged draft employment contracts, discussed conditions, and so on.
— Approximately what conditions were discussed?
— Understanding Eremenko’s difficult financial situation, an agreement was reached that Roman could move from CSKA to any foreign club (China, Arab countries, Europe) for symbolic compensation.
- Even so?
- Yes. We understood that the player first of all needs to improve his financial situation and think about the interests of his family. Therefore, we agreed that if a very good offer for the player comes from abroad, he will leave for a symbolic amount. But what happened happened. In any case, we wish Roman good luck and patience. Him and his family.
— When did it become clear that he would not return to CSKA?
— Negotiations basically ended about two months ago. And then the final decision had not yet been made. We continued to communicate with the agent, Marco Trabucchi. I think they also had to make a difficult choice, weigh all the pros and cons.
— Did Eremenko himself once explain to you why he chose Spartak?
- I repeat, there is no need to explain anything here. Everything is on the surface here. Financial conditions. But we don't consider this a betrayal. But I have already stated above the arguments why, it seems to me, it would be more correct for Roman to make a choice not in favor of money, but in favor of resuming his career where more prerequisites have been created. And then really try to make money - in the Chinese championship, Arab countries and so on.
— From a moral and ethical point of view, Eremenko, after letting CSKA down, should have returned to the team and, as they say, atone for his guilt on the field?
“But we are still not the morality police.” I would not like to discuss moral and ethical aspects. As they say, everyone has their own skeletons in their closet. I’m talking about rational things now, but everyone decides moral and ethical issues for themselves.
— Don’t you think that the decisive role in Eremenko’s transfer to Spartak was played by the factor of Marco Trabucchi, who works closely with the red and white?
- Maybe. Although Marco and I have an absolutely normal, working relationship. I don't think it was done in retaliation. They made this decision. The financial factor, I think, has come to the fore here.
— Will you shake Eremenko’s hand when we meet?
- Of course, I’ll shake it. Although his decision caused confusion. We had a great desire to work with Eremenko again. It seems to me that a beautiful story could have turned out if Roman had returned to CSKA, where an unpleasant situation happened to him (he still let down the guys, the team, and the club). But we would do everything in our power to ensure that Roman quickly forgets about that incident, gets in shape and does what he does best - score goals and give assists. At the same time, we understood that perhaps in a year he would leave us practically for free to a Chinese or Arab club. Well... Life goes on.
CSKA General Director talks about the club's summer transfer campaign.
WE DID NOT PLAN TO SELL VITINHA– CSKA’s Twitter lists all the club’s summer acquisitions and says: “It was legendary.” Did everything really work out?
– I think the guys are just being creative (smiles). Legendary is, of course, too much. I would refrain from making any loud assessments for now. Time will show. Yes, we have done a lot of work. But, as they say, chickens are counted in the fall. We hope we didn't make a mistake with the newcomers.
– Can there be two opinions about exit transfers?
- Yes, this is a success. Record transfer of Golovin to Monaco. Vitinho also left for Flamengo for a very large sum, which is not typical for Brazilian clubs. True, the departure came as a surprise to us, since we did not plan to sell it.
- Is that so?
- Yes. The football player’s desire to return to his homeland played a decisive role here. He really wanted this. There were no hints that Vitinho would leave CSKA. But in this situation, we met him halfway and, in principle, received good financial compensation.
- Let's talk about the newcomers.
– We will draw conclusions later. But the acquisition of Abel Hernandez is already paying off. Of course, he is a very strong footballer who plays with great desire and dedication. I want to believe that he will continue in the same spirit. Vlasic, in my opinion, is an interesting player.
In general, we continued our strategy of finding young, talented guys. The youngest team in the Premier League and, as unusual as it sounds, CSKA is not very experienced. Although, of course, there are also old-timers - Igor Akinfeev, Alan Dzagoev, Mario Fernandez, Zhora Shchennikov, Kirill Nababkin, Vitya Vasin, who went through thick and thin.
But there are many players who are just starting their journey in big football. I am confident that Viktor Mikhailovich (Goncharenko) and our core team will be able to achieve results with the newcomers. Perhaps not right away - there will be downturns, but we need to be patient. You need to understand that these are university graduates who are just beginning their career growth.
NISHIMURA – THE MAXIMUM BUDGET OPTION
– If “Ufa” had beaten “Rangers” in the Europa League, CSKA would hardly have signed Oblyakov?
- Probably yes. If Ufa had made it to the group stage, I think they would have made every effort to maintain their squad. The negotiations turned out to be difficult and long. In principle, understanding was reached quickly. But there were several conditions, including the team’s performance in European competition. I think the Bashkir club made a very worthy debut in Europe and brought a lot of points to Russia’s treasury. Well done, it wasn't enough to beat the Scots. Now we hope that Vanya will reach another level in CSKA. He is now one of the most talented young Russian players, at this age he has a serious legacy of matches in the Premier League.
– There is an opinion that in the future Oblyakov will replace Dzagoev.
- I wouldn't say that. In my opinion, they play differently and are not very similar players in terms of their qualities. We still believe in Alan. Now he is recovering, I hope that the treatment will bear fruit. Therefore, we did not consider Oblyakov’s transfer in this context. Moreover, we also have Kostya Kuchaev, who is also not playing yet. Ivan, as I said, is a talented, promising midfielder with a Russian passport, which is also important, since many foreigners came to us.
– How did the option with the Japanese Nishimura come about?
– This is a bit of an unexpected transfer even for me. We watched one football player, but ended up paying attention to him. A very budget option. Maximum budget! I can’t voice the numbers. An interesting football player with qualities. There is a risk with adaptation, but the player himself was eager to come to us. We already had successful experience working with a Japanese player.
– Do you consider cooperation with Honda successful?
- Definitely. Honda has brought us a lot of benefits. There can't even be two opinions here. After the acquisition of Nishimura, serious interest from Japan immediately arose in us. So maybe this transition will help us from a marketing point of view as well. How will Nismura fare in football terms? Let's see. We don’t expect miracles – not only from him, but also from other newcomers. Young people need time. But, it seems to me, we managed to close the necessary positions. We even acquired a little more players compared to those who left.
CSKA SPENT ON NINE PLAYERS AS ONE
– Why was it not possible to reach an agreement on Szymanski? Did Legia ask for too much in your opinion?
– I would not like to talk in detail about failed transactions. We had very little time. Here financial conditions came to the fore. We signed nine players, and essentially paid for them as one player. So take your budget into account. It’s no secret, we always try to spend our funds carefully, comply with financial fair play and some kind of reasonableness when transferring a newcomer.
– If you believe the information that appeared in the press on CSKA transfers, then in the summer you spent about 10 million euros on newcomers. Is this true?
- Yes, approximately the same amount. But we must not forget that several football players came to us for free. This includes the loan of Vlasic, Becao, and Hernandez. Yes, the amount that appears in the media is approximately true. But I hope we didn’t make a mistake in terms of both the number of players and the quality.
– Have you thought about returning Doumbia and Vagner Love to CSKA this summer?
- Of course, we all miss them. We want to believe that a miracle is possible again and again. But here you must first of all be guided not by emotions, but by reason. First of all, no one is getting any younger. And secondly, since we have chosen the path of building a young team, it would probably not be entirely correct to look for answers in the past. Although, I will not hide, such thoughts visited us, but I have already named the reasons that stopped us from taking this step.
NEGOTIATIONS WITH AKINFEEV LASTED THREE MINUTES
– How quickly did you manage to agree with Akinfeev on a new contract?
– It is very important that the contract with our captain was extended. It is difficult to overestimate Igor's contribution to CSKA's successes. And the negotiations lasted only three minutes.
- Wow.
- Yes. Probably the fastest negotiations (smiles). We all know about Timur and his team. So here we have Igor and his team. And, of course, Viktor Mikhailovich, with his experience and desire to work with young people, I am sure, will be able to build a new, interesting team. But as I have noticed more than once - patience, patience and more patience.
– Last question. Is there a possibility that in the Champions League CSKA will host Real Madrid not at the VEB Arena, but at Luzhniki?
– We are looking into this issue. Unfortunately, there are a number of regulatory restrictions. In a group, one match cannot be played at one stadium and the other two at another. This idea came to us quite a long time ago, even before the draw. Now it has become even more relevant. But I can’t say anything concrete yet.
Vitaly Airapetov
General Director of the Moscow football club CSKA Roman Babaev, in an interview with Armenian News – NEWS.am correspondent Vera Martirosyan, spoke about his Armenian roots, why CSKA did not acquire Henrikh Mkhitaryan at one time and what steps the club is taking now to increase the attendance of its new stadium .
Recently, an article appeared on one of the Russian sports websites about the most influential Armenians in Russian football. It turned out that there are a lot of Armenians in Russian football. It’s no secret that you also have Armenian roots. Where is your family from?
My parents are Armenians. We are from Baku. I lived in Armenia. I went to school named after. Pushkin. I know Armenian, but due to lack of practice, now I speak it with difficulty, although I understand it perfectly.
When was the last time you were in Armenia?
In 2000. I plan to visit next year. I miss you very much. I know Yerevan very well. He lived in Byurakan for a long time. As a teenager I climbed all over Mount Aragats. When I lived in Armenia, there was a very difficult period there - cold, dark years. But despite this, I still have very warm memories. As well as from Nagorno-Karabakh. I visited Stepanakert and Shushi as a child. We had relatives living there.
CSKA President Evgeny Lennorovich Giner also has Armenian roots, right?
Yes, he does not hide the fact that Armenian blood flows in his veins. Happens often in Armenia. He has a lot of close Armenian friends.
How did it happen that there are so many Armenians in Russian football?
Well, not only in football. Historically, Armenians have shown themselves in various fields. This is inherent in the people - family, education and work are a priority for any Armenian family. We had a difficult financial situation in the family - mom is a doctor, dad is an engineer. But they did everything to ensure that I received a good education. I graduated from the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University with honors. Armenian parents try to give their children a good education.
Do you follow Armenian football?
I keep an eye on it, but lately there haven’t been many reasons for joy. At the club level, teams have no success in Eurocups, and the national team is not happy yet. This may be due to the difficult economic situation. But I communicate with colleagues from Armenian clubs and, of course, I worry, mainly about the national team.
How did you get into football?
As a 4th year student I was trying to find a job. Through a friend, an opportunity arose to work at the CSKA football club as a legal adviser. Then, under the previous management, the club was going through hard times. To be honest, I thought I wouldn’t last long here. With the knowledge and ambitions that MSU provides, I wanted more. But he endured it, and then, as they say, he got involved. And it seemed to me that practicing sports law was very interesting. At that time, there was no such thing as sports law. There was some kind of vacuum, no one understood how to conclude transfer and employment contracts. In 2001, when Evgeniy Lennorovich Giner joined the club, it immediately became clear that the club had new big goals. He invited me to stay. And I don’t regret staying at all.
Can you say that you are good at football or is your role to be a good manager?
I'm more of a manager. Although, when you work in football for more than 20 years, you begin to understand it to one degree or another. I do not participate in the breeding work of the club, just as a breeder. I don't consider myself educated enough to evaluate football players. We completely trust the breeders. My task, if a candidate has already been selected, is to negotiate as efficiently as possible, conclude a contract, and provide for the player’s life.
Where do general directors of football clubs study and most often, representatives of what professions become general directors in football clubs?
There are many educational programs that provide the opportunity to learn critical skills in a short time. And the most important thing is to make the most efficient use of the resources that the club has at its disposal. I don’t see much difference between the general director of a commercial structure and a football club. Of course, you need to understand football, but essentially you need to make the most efficient use of the resources that the club has at its disposal in order to achieve maximum results, both sporting and economic.
It's no secret that CSKA is one of the few private clubs in Russia. Therefore, we are trying to build our business model in a European manner. How much we earn, how much we spend. It is desirable to earn more, but due to objective economic reasons it is not always possible. Manchester United CEO Ed Woodward worked for a consulting company for a long time. The club took notice of him and invited him. The largest percentage are lawyers and commercial directors who become CEOs. Sometimes they are former football players, but more often they become sports directors.
How do you deal with criticism? I often read criticism addressed to you, especially your statements about attendance at CSKA matches?
I react very calmly. Criticism is sometimes very useful. We cannot assume that everything is fine just because we are the most titled club in Russia. Despite tough competition, over the past five years we have become champions three times and silver medal winners twice. For the last five years we have been playing in the group stage of the Champions League. It's good when criticism is constructive, but this is not always the case. I'm trying to get acquainted with all the materials that are dedicated to our club. In terms of attendance at matches, we have taken some very serious measures over the past few months, and the results have not been long in coming. Of course, it is not very correct to cite the match with Manchester United as an example. On the other hand, last year we played against teams like Tottenham and Monaco, but the stadium was not completely full. Yes, Manchester United is a higher-status team, but this also applies less to the work of our services, speeding up inspection procedures, pricing policy, and communication with fans. Even the Russian Championship already has dynamics. Despite the fact that it is already autumn and cold, people come to the stadium.
Didn't all this happen before?
It was, but our stadium is new. He recently turned one year old. For this kind of objects, this is an insignificant period. This is a unique stadium. A business center is integrated into it. We adopted this idea from Stamford Bridge in London. We have also raised the level of service to fans - we have increased the number of security checkpoints, which has reduced queues, and improved the quality of catering. Very serious measures are being taken to ensure maximum safety for fans. Special mention should be made of our fans, with whom we regularly communicate and are in close contact. There have been no recent crimes.
In addition, despite economic problems, we have reduced ticket prices, even for Champions League matches. And I repeat - we already have results. Not yet the one I would like to have in the end. But an attendance of 16,000 per match is not the limit, but not very bad either. We will try to reach a level of about 20,000.
Is the position of CEO the limit of your ambitions or will you strive for more?
I'm quite pleased with everything. I am very grateful to the club’s shareholders, my colleagues, our team, whose success makes it possible to regularly achieve sporting and economic results. I don’t have any ambitions like becoming the Minister of Sports.
What can you say about CSKA’s last match in the Champions League against Manchester United? The fans of your club looked decent until the end, although the team lost with a big score.
It was a great celebration of football. Especially considering that two legendary clubs, Liverpool and Manchester, were in Moscow at the same time. The result was disappointing, but in fairness it must be said that Manchester United is a very strong team and it would be difficult for any Russian club to play against them. I was pleased with the atmosphere of the stadium. The fans supported their team as best they could. Thanks to Henrikh Mkhitaryan, there were many Armenians at the stadium.
How do you assess CSKA's chances in the group?
Taking into account the current situation, our main rival will be Basel. This does not mean that we underestimate Benfica, but when the Portuguese team has no points, and we have the same points with Basel, then the fight in the group for second place will be with Basel.
They say that at one time CSKA was interested in Mkhitaryan. How serious was the club's interest then?
We were really interested in him. He performed successfully in Ukraine, at the same time Movsisyan played well in Spartak. Mkhitaryan already announced himself very clearly. When he was offered to us, he was already playing at Shakhtar. And we conduct our transfer policy very carefully. And we do not raise transfer amounts above a certain maximum. Unfortunately, at that time, his transition was no longer possible.
Vera Martirosyan
Roman Yurievich, financial fair play, the invention of UEFA President Michel Platini, is it good for Russian football?
– The idea is undoubtedly progressive, but at the same time partly naive. Its main message - to force clubs to earn money themselves, eliminating the financial gap that separates the two dozen owners of “measureless” budgets from the rest - is personally attractive to me. But how to implement this in practice is a big question.
And what are the main problems?
– If everyone honestly implements the provisions of the charter, without trying to cheat somewhere, then okay. Then Platini’s idea is a benefit for everyone, including Russia. But we know how imperfect this world is. A simple example. Starting from 2013, the difference between the club's income and expenses must exceed 5 million euros. No questions asked - a great incentive to spend money more rationally and earn it more energetically! Now look: in our country there are many clubs that are supported by corporations, including state-owned ones. If such a club concludes a sponsorship contract with one of its shareholders in the amount of 5 million euros, it will easily bypass this fair play. At the same time, we can say that these same 5 million in income were received as a result of advertising activities.
How are things going in CSKA?
– We recently summed up the results of the 2011 financial year. There is a surplus (the excess of income over expenses - Ed.) of almost half a million dollars. Unfortunately, this is less than we planned. To be honest, we expected that the surplus would be approximately 7 million. Such a result would have been possible if CSKA had reached the semifinals in the Europa League. Alas, Village-Boas' Porto got in the way - a team that was practically invincible at that time.
Do fluctuations in exchange rates somehow affect the budgets of Russian clubs?
Best of the day
- Undoubtedly. If the euro-dollar pair creeps up, this creates a bias in budgets towards expenses, since most of our commercial income is in rubles, and expenses in terms of salaries and transfers of football players are traditionally tied to the euro or dollar. For example, you sign a foreigner. He demands: “I don’t care what happens to the ruble exchange rate. I wish to receive my rightful 50 thousand euros, not a cent less.” And we are forced to transfer him rubles into European banknotes every month. As a result, the club earns, relatively speaking, ten rubles, but has to spend all eleven.
Can not just one or two, but several clubs at once work profitably in Russia?
- I doubt. Over the past five or six years, our clubs have heated up the market so much with high-profile transfers that with each new “window” we are charged more and more unaffordable prices. As soon as the agent makes it clear that a Premier League club is interested in the player, those on the other side happily rub their hands together: these “crazy Russians” again. Hurray, you can make some money! The markup “for Russia” is also plus at least 50% of the real value of the football player. But to buy regardless of the prices... In our Premier League, only two clubs out of sixteen can afford this. The rest are not participants in this race, either due to their own ideology or due to lack of funds.
And CSKA?
– It is no coincidence that I mentioned the club philosophy. We at CSKA consider it impossible for us to invite a player for 15-20 million euros just to win the Russian Championship with his help - a tournament, the total income from which is no more than 50-60 million dollars for all Premier League clubs. In this case, it will no longer be economics, but some kind of recklessness.
But in business, sometimes you get wildly lucky. Let's say Lionel Messi marries a Russian beauty and persuades the Barca president to give up his transfer to CSKA for 25 million euros. Will you take it?
- I see you are a joker...
And yet.
- Of course, we’ll take it for 25. If only because tomorrow it can be sold for a hundred. Another question is how can we look a beauty in the eye after such a “re-export”?..
For this reason, people invented sunglasses. I see, Roman Yurievich, that you don’t complain about your sense of humor... But let’s get back to serious things. What is CSKA's main bet on in the revenue side of its budget: earnings in the Champions League, sales of football players?
– Taking a player, promoting him and selling him at a higher price is not our way. CSKA does not speculate on football players. We always put sports results at the forefront. It happens, of course, like it happened with Zhirkov. After Yura was “not seen” in other clubs, CSKA got him for a symbolic 300 thousand dollars. And five years later we sold it to Chelsea for 50 times the price. Some will say: great business! Of course, but don’t forget that during this time Zhirkov also brought enormous benefits to CSKA; in 2008 he was recognized as the best football player in Russia, after which he received an invitation from Chelsea, a club to which you don’t get invited twice. Well, how could we not let him go? Such a chance comes once in a lifetime. Likewise with Krasic, who moved to Juventus.
As for the financial ideology of the club... In recent years, our main income comes from successful performance in the Champions League. Participation in the group tournament alone brings about 10 million euros into the treasury. This is one of the main budget items.
"Inter" - Record box office
If the components of the income part are ranked, then...
– In second place are revenues from advertising and commercial activities. We try to get the most out of the club's opportunities. Our partners represent various sectors of the economy - banking, automobile, hotel... Next in terms of volume is revenue from the sale of tickets and season tickets. In Russian football, this segment, alas, is poorly developed. Our clubs cannot, as in leading championships, “spend” a third of their budget on tickets alone. In CSKA, this article gives somewhere around 7-8 million dollars a year, or 12-14% of the budget.
How much did you collect in 2011?
- About six million. Traditionally, the most attended match in the championship was the match with Spartak. For the April game at Luzhniki, 50,590 tickets were sold. Revenue amounted to more than 23 million rubles. We earned quite good money from games with Zenit and Lokomotiv... In the Champions League, the maximum income was provided by the arrival of Inter Milan - almost 26 million rubles. This is our box office record for the year. We had very good training camps with Inter in the quarterfinals of the League and at the game with Manchester United in the fall of 2009. I hope we can overcome these results in the home game with Real, which would be a plus for the draw that was so unkind to CSKA (smiles).
By the way, Barcelona annually earns a tidy sum from membership fees of registered fans alone. Do you think such a tool will work in Russian football?
- Hardly. Firstly, for Barcelona this is a historical tradition that is over a hundred years old. Another argument is attendance, which is also very much not in our favor. If less than forty thousand came to the Camp Nou within the framework of Primera, for Barça it is a box office failure. And for Russian teams, with the exception of Spartak and our club (if we play in Luzhniki), this indicator is a fabulous success. Look, only “Kuban” has an average attendance of home matches of twenty thousand. Everyone else collected less last year. If our clubs for the most part cannot provide an audience of more than 10-12 thousand, what is the point of starting an IPO - a procedure for involving fans in the club’s share capital - or going on the stock exchange with their shares.
In addition, in this case, fans will have to be given the right to participate in presidential elections, which is an undesirable procedure for our club authorities.
- And this too. I don’t think that by putting on an overseas caftan, our clubs will immediately turn into thriving enterprises. Yes, European football has experience of using a number of good ideas. But at the same time, there are a lot of nuances – historical and mental – that do not make it suitable for everyone. For example, Bundesliga clubs, unlike Barcelona, do not have such a source of income.
Started as a legal consultant
It is known that you came to work at CSKA while still a student. Do you remember that match from childhood, after which you became an army fan?
– I won’t lie: I followed football, but I was more worried about basketball CSKA. The mid-nineties, as you know, were not the best period of Russian football.
Is this your first job in this field?
– I remember the trial – it coincided with my arrival – in relation to one publication that published material under the heading “Football CSKA finances Chechen militants.” I can’t vouch for absolute accuracy, but something like that. There was quite a noisy trial, and we achieved a refutation.
Didn’t you have a chance to defend Valery Gazzaev’s reputation? He, too, had enough conflicts with the media in his time.
- Well, Valery Georgievich will stand up for himself so much that it won’t seem too little. I personally did not have to defend him. But in the spring of 2005, our UEFA Cup semi-final with Parma resulted in such a scandal that I will probably never forget it.
Was there any basis to the Italian club's complaint to UEFA that their goalkeeper was injured by pyrotechnics from the CSKA fans' sector?
– To be honest, the Italians were very close to getting us disqualified then. But their appeal had one weak link - it was based on falsified evidence. If it had not been possible to prove this, there would not have been a victorious final in Lisbon in the history of CSKA. Fortunately, we were able to bring the seniors to clean water. In two days we collected all the necessary evidence.
In short, will the army team definitely not shake hands with people from Parma when they meet?
- We'll serve it today. Over the past almost seven years, the entire leadership there has changed.
Fight the ruble with Zenit
You recently said that Doumbia’s transfer costs at least 30 million euros. Does his contract have a fixed release clause, by paying which another club will be able to get the Ivorian striker?
– No, we are against such options.
It seems that CSKA still will not let the leading player go to another Russian team, even if the transfer amount is noticeably higher than the offer from foreigners.
– We consider the principle of “sell anywhere, as long as it’s more expensive” unacceptable. For a variety of reasons. Let’s say foreigners give ten million for our player, and someone in Russia gives all 15. Well, they sold it to the guys from their native Premier League. What then? As a result, we have strengthened our direct competitor, which is ahead of CSKA in the championship, and we get a less preferable draw for the Champions League. Otherwise we won’t get there at all. Financial losses in this case turn out to be much higher than the immediate benefits.
Does the club have a certain line, proposals below which are rejected even in negotiations with foreign partners?
– It all depends on the specific player. We are ready to discuss any reasonable figure.
It seems that in our football there is also a purely financial rivalry. Zenit is ready to fight for leadership in terms of income, the owner of Spartak intends to bring his club to full self-sufficiency...
– And it’s great - this will benefit all Russian football.
You said it somewhat distantly. Isn’t it exciting for CSKA to fight Zenit on the commercial field?
- This is a utopia. The only club in such a big city as St. Petersburg, which has been living in a state of football boom for many years... And CSKA in Moscow has four more competitors in the fight for the hearts and wallets of fans. Or take the shareholders of Zenit. In terms of financial strength, Gazprom is able to give a head start to almost any European company. I think our starting positions are not very comparable.
In this article we will talk about one of the most successful general directors of the entire world of football and the CSKA club in particular - Roman Babaev. His contribution to domestic football is invaluable. He was able to prove to the whole world that Russian football players are worth a lot. In the article you will be able to trace his entire long and thorny path: from the beginning, when he was an unknown university student, to the end, when he became a significant person in the world of football.
Roman Babaev. Biography
The novel was born on February 13, 1978 in the city of Chelyabinsk, USSR. Currently, he is a citizen of the Russian Federation.
Soon he moves to Moscow and enters the University. Lomonosov to the Faculty of Law. Roman Babaev graduates from the institute with a distinction. He began building his career at FC CSKA back in 1999, being at that time still a legal consultant. He is also an expert in the field of sports law.
Roman Babaev has been the General Director of CSKA since March 2007. He was appointed to this position by the board of shareholders. He has also been a holder of the Order of the Badge of Honor since 2006.
The path to FC CSKA
Currently, Roman Babaev is one of the leading young football managers in Russia. But it all started when, back in 1999, a 4th year student at Moscow State University had the opportunity to work at the CSKA football club as a legal consultant.
In the late 90s, as many remember, there were very troubled times, which also affected the CSKA football club. It would seem that this is a road to nowhere, because there was no hope even that the club’s infrastructure would develop. During this period, Roman Babaev decides to no longer have anything to do with this club and wants to leave it as soon as possible.
New investors joining the club
But in 2001, new investors came to the club, led by Evgeniy Giner. They sought to do absolutely everything for the club and to ensure law and order in football. At this time, a legislative vacuum arose in the club (there were no norms that determine the status of professional sports); the staff of football clubs did not even have lawyers. But after Giner arrived, everyone realized that his team is a union of people with huge ambitions who will be able to move to a new stage in the development of the football club.
From the first days, Roman Babaev and Evgeniy Giner began to bring this goal to life.
One of the main tasks was to build a vertical of power in the club and recruit professionals to the main positions:
- commercial director;
- financial director;
- director of information policy of the club;
- head of the selection department.
Roman Babaev himself headed the legal management department for six years. And only in 2007, by decision of the board of shareholders, Roman was appointed general director of the football club.
Under the leadership of Roman Babaev, they built a very efficient and effective management system, which is still in use today.
What FC CSKA achieved under the leadership of Roman Babaev
On February 21, 2001, it became known that the club had changed its owner - Evgeniy Giner (Russian businessman) became him. And the club attracted new investors; They were people from the Ministry of Defense and a company from England, Blue Castle Enterprises Limited. This marked the beginning of the revival of the legendary club, which in the future became one of the leading clubs in Russian football.
Between 2001 and 2015, the CSKA football team won the Russian Championship five times. They won silver medals five times and bronze medals twice. FC CSKA won the Super Cup six times, and was a quarter-finalist in the Champions League twice.
2005 was a landmark year for the club, as it won its first trophy - the UEFA Cup (European Cup). Of course, we can say with confidence that the club’s victories are the result of the efforts of not just one person, but of everyone who had a hand in it - the coaching staff and the president. And, of course, Roman Babaev also did a lot to make CSKA a successful club.
What is the secret of the club's success?
The main secret of FC CSKA's success is attitude. Most clubs that rely on public money very often achieve nothing. This is clearly evident from the example of the Saturn club. As practice shows, the existence of a team with public money is a waste of taxpayers' money. Post-Soviet and Russian football in this form cannot be a business, because solving financial issues is not entrusted to team leaders - they are faced only with sporting tasks. This means there is no financial gain. Because of this, such clubs receive only budget funds.
But with private financing, things are different. Because in this process it is necessary to control the expenditure of funds on a daily basis, based on this, Roman Babaev and Evgeniy Giner created their own strategy, which has been successfully used for more than 10 years.
Strategy
The club bets on players who have not yet been promoted, not on popular and young footballers, but on talented players.
Yes, inviting such participants is always risky. But this must be done wisely. It is necessary to take into account the character, marital status, mentality and, of course, the prospect and ambitions of the player.
A small list of young football players who gained fame in FC CSKA during the reign of Babaev and Giner:
- Ahmed Moussa - participant of the World Championship in 2014.
- Milos Krasic - participant of the Olympics in 2004.
- Vagner Love - America's Cup participant in 2007.
- Chidi Odia - participant of the African Cup of Nations in 2006.
Investors under Babayev
In order for a football club to become successful in our time, it needs to attract the attention and funds of investors. Because in the modern world, without this, it is impossible for a club to become popular.
Roman Babaev and Evgeny Giner understood this very well, and therefore they actively began to attract investors for FC CSKA. One of the first sponsors of the team was the Conti company. Afterwards, the Sibneft company invested money in the club, the total investment amounted to about $55 million. Today, the Russian Networks company is considered the investor of the football club.
The amount of the contract is $130 million.
A successful team must have its own modern stadium, which was perfectly clear to both Evgeny Giner and Roman Babaev.
In 2007, when Babaev became the general director of the CSKA football club, construction began on a modern elite football stadium that would meet all UEFA requirements. On the territory allocated for construction, it is planned to build a children's and youth sports school, a business center and, of course, a museum of FC CSKA.
Roman Babaev. Nationality and personal life
It is known that Roman is not married. His nationality is unknown. Some say that he is Armenian by nationality, some say that he is Jewish, like Evgeniy Giner. There is no reliable information on this matter. Despite all this, I would like to say that this is a man who did everything possible and impossible to push one of the average clubs to the Russian championships, and help him become the favorite of his fans, the fortieth football team in the UEFA ranking, whose annual budget is about ninety million dollars.
With the arrival of Roman Yuryevich Babaev, the CSKA football club achieved truly great success, for which both the players and numerous fans are grateful to the general director.
