#QUESTIONS from fans. Volodymyr Baienko. Part 2

The general director of Kryvyi Rih FC "Kryvbas" Volodymyr Baienko answered the questions of the fans. We are back with a new informative issue of the #QUESTIONS column. To your attention, the second part of the text material.

- Fans often say that Kryvbas works only with a limited number of agents. Does the club have favorite agents? And how independent is the management in choosing players?

- If we analyze the last four years, we have had all the agencies and all the agents that have cooperated with the Kryvbas football club. Therefore, if there is a strong football player, it does not matter which agency he signed a contract with. Because we do not have one person making decisions about a particular football player. I think it is very difficult for one agent to influence 4-5 people so that they all confirm or make the transfer happen. Football players are reviewed by the scouting department, then the chief scout gives his opinion, they make reports, these reports go to the president. Based on these reports, he makes a decision.

I think this is not objective and there is no reason to discuss this, because we had many clients from one agency, in another year - from another. Because some agents may offer good players somewhere, and then it happens that one comes, then due to that he gives us a good recommendation, and another one leaves. Like, for example, the guys from Venezuela: the first was Mendoza, then Maiken, then Araujo, Paraco, Rojas.

That is, the guys understood that Kryvbas has a good future for them, that they can progress through the club, play, develop, in the future, perhaps have options to continue their careers in Europe. And everything suits us: the level of the players, their financial requirements, and that is why we cooperate with them. It does not matter which agency they cooperate with.

- Does the sale of Tverdokhlib and Mykytyshyn mean that Kryvbas will not fight for the European cup zone?

- Why? In general, I think this question is not quite correct, because in the summer, when many players who made a great contribution to the development of Kryvbas left us, many wrote that we would fight to maintain our registration in the UPL. But we showed good football, I think, and a good result. Yes, Tverdokhlib and Mykytyshyn are two important players for us.

But I will repeat myself once again: if the club has a goal for as many players from the Academy to play in the first team as possible, and for them to form the backbone of the team; so that according to our plan in three years they would be 80% of the main team, then we have no right to close the door on them. We must count on them.

- Do you miss Jean Poe?

- Jean Poe came to us after very difficult problems. And these problems were with his documents. Then he got sick, he had a very serious illness. We made a decision together with the doctor. I can't say everything, but the chance that he would stay in the team was very small. Jean and I talked and agreed that we would have him as a trial in the summer. He worked, it was very difficult for him. He went through a lot and they always believed in him - both the coaching staff, the club, and the medical staff, who did the incredible.

We can thank our friend Vitaly Ivanovich Junger, who is a doctor at the Ukrainian hospital "Feofania". His team made sure that Jean Poe returned to the field. And when he scored that goal against "Oleksandria", I really remember now - these are very pleasant emotions. It's such a long and difficult path to go through with the guy, and he deserved to be in our team. He is a professional and a cool guy who gave everything. And when the time came, we shook hands, and he went his own way. But in the future I would really like him to return to our club after his career.

- Is there a chance that in the future, instead of legionnaires, Kryvbas will focus only on Ukrainian players?

- This is exactly what we are going for. I repeat once again: we need time, we need our players from the Academy to get playing time. And then they will form the backbone of the team, and we will be reinforced with legionnaires in small doses.

- Is there a plan to replace the artificial turf at Sparta Stadium?

- Yes. We have just ordered a new lawn for the arena. And now we are in the process of ordering a new lawn at Sparta Stadium.

- Are you looking for additional sources of financing for a stable financial situation at the club?

- If we talk about investors, then now is a time when few people want to invest money. And not only in Ukraine, and not only in Kryvyi Rih. Because there is no stability. And as for increasing the income part - yes, we are working on it. Every partner who cooperates with us is very important to us. Therefore, we are trying to use every opportunity to develop the football club "Kryvbas".

- Are there any plans to revive "Kryvbas-2"?

- At this stage - no. From next season there will be U-19, U-21 championships, there is a women's championship. And, in principle, U-21 closes the issue of the second team, and we do not see the point of creating "Kryvbas-2" again.

- Will there be experienced newcomers in the team?

- No, there will not be. Because there is an understanding, there is a philosophy, and we have experienced football players. At the moment there are enough of them. Why is this happening? Each club has its own path, and it follows it. We already had a team of experienced performers. But now we see the development of the club in this way.

- Is the club currently in the stage of survival or development?

- If only by facts: over the past year we have updated the infrastructure. This year, another U-21 team will be added. We have constant transfers, that is, we work on the transfer market. If only based on the facts, I believe that the club is developing. We currently have plans to build three new fields in Kryvyi Rih, in the city center. We plan to finish what we started in 2026: a gym with a swimming pool near the Kryvbas hotel. Therefore, I believe that the club is developing. Perhaps, I would like it to do it at a faster pace. But there are reasons for this. This is a war, this is an unstable situation. And these are really the factors that do not stop, but slow down the process a little.

- If you had the opportunity to sign a UPL player for free, who would it be?

- In principle, we have everything. We have the opportunity to sign a free player, but I will repeat once again: when you take a football player, you close the door to the team for your young player. And it is the pupils who should form the future of the football club.

- What specific indicator do you consider the main criterion for the success of your work?

- Probably, it is the fact that I work in this job. Because if you are fired - probably this is a criterion that you are not suitable. And it is so difficult to single out any one indicator. Football is a team game. There cannot be one football player or one person to blame for some collapse. Everyone wins and everyone loses. If you continue to work and the club moves forward - it means that you are doing something right. If the club does not move forward, and you continue to work - there are probably some questions. If everything is moving forward, it means everything is correct. If it is standing still, something needs to be changed. If you are moving backward, it means you are doing something wrong. You need to change your approach and move only forward.

- What is your strongest management decision at the club in all your time?

- It is difficult to say. Every decision is difficult - both hiring a person and saying goodbye to them. Every day I make many decisions. Sometimes a small wrong decision can create a big problem, and a big decision can solve a small one. Therefore, I cannot single out any one super decision.

- Have there been any transfers made against the opinion of the coaching staff?

- Never. The coaching staff always evaluates the player and says whether he is suitable or not. There is a report, it is read, then sent to the coach. We ask if he is suitable. When all the reports reach the president, he talks to the coach and asks his vision of the player's role in the team. And only after that the final decision is made.

- Don't you think that the club has too many foreign players? The limit on them has not gone away. All fans remember the situation with the cup match.

- If foreign players bring results, then there are not many of them in the club. I repeat once again: in the future we will count on players who have both Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian passports. This has nothing to do with the result at all. Our most important task is for a football player to benefit the team. If he does not have a Ukrainian passport, but he is a good performer, then he will be in our team.

BLITZ.

- Buy a pig in a poke from Venezuela or a proven fighter from the first league?

- Buy a player that our scouts watched.

- Net profit from transfers or bronze medals?

- Bronze medals, because they bring net profit from transfers.

- VAR - is it the salvation of football or its murder?

- The salvation of football.

- What is worse - the anger of the president or the hatred of 10 thousand fans?

- The anger of the president.

- To win at Shakhtar or Dynamo?

- Both at Shakhtar and Dynamo.

- To be a despotic director or a friend-director?

- A leader-director.

- How many hours a day do you not think about Kryvbas?

- Zero seconds, zero minutes, zero hours.

- To watch a Premier League match or a game of the Kryvbas youth team?

- The Kryvbas youth team.

- The best manager in the history of football is...?

- He is the one who wins. He is the one who wins gold medals. This is the one who wins the championship. There is no one manager who is the best. The best is the one who has won gold medals.

- Is Kryvbas for you?

- Kryvbas is a family for me.

Press service of FC "Kryvbas" Kryvyi Rih