This article will focus on one of the most successful general directors of the whole 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 footballers are worth a lot. In the article, you can 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. He is currently a citizen of the Russian Federation.
Soon he moved to Moscow and entered the University. Lomonosov at the Faculty of Law. Roman Babaev graduated from the Institute with a distinction. He began to build his career in FC CSKA back in 1999, being at that time still a legal consultant. He is also an expert in the field of sports jurisprudence.
Roman Babaev has been the CEO of CSKA since March 2007. Appointed to this position he was by the board of shareholders. He has also been a holder of the Order of the Badge of Honor since 2006.
Path to FC CSKA
Roman Babaev is currently one of the leading young football managers in Russia. But it all started with the fact that back then, back in 1999, a fourth-year student at Moscow State University had the opportunity to work in the CSKA football club as a legal consultant.
In the late 90s, as many remember, there were very troubled times, which also influenced the CSKA football club. It would seem that this is a road to nowhere, because there was no hope even that the infrastructure of the club would develop. During this period, Roman Babaev decides not to have anything more to do with this club and wants to leave it as soon as possible.
New investors coming to the club
But in 2001, new investors came to the club, headed by Evgeny Giner. They wanted to do absolutely everything for the club and to ensure the rule of law in football. At this time, a legislative vacuum arose in the club (there were no norms that determine the status of professional sports), the staffs of football clubs did not even have lawyers. But after the arrival of Giner, everyone understood that his team was an alliance of people with huge ambitions who could move to a new stage of development. football club.
From the first days, Roman Babaev and Yevgeny 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 in their field for the main positions:
- commercial director;
- financial director;
- director of information policy of the club;
- head of the breeding department.
Roman Babaev himself was the head of the legal management department for six years. And only in 2007, by decision of the board of shareholders, Roman was appointed CEO of the football club.
Under the leadership of Roman Babaev, a very efficient and effective management system was built, which is used to this day.
What FC CSKA achieved under the leadership of Roman Babaev
On February 21, 2001 it became known that the owner of the club was changed - it was Evgeny Giner (Russian businessman). And the club attracted new investors; they were people from the Department of Defense and a firm from England, Blue Castle Enterprises Limited. This was the beginning of the revival of the legendary club, which in the future became one of the leading clubs Russian football.
In the period from 2001 to 2015, the CSKA football team won the Russian championship five times. Five times they took silver and twice bronze medals... FC CSKA became the owner of the Super Cup six times, twice - a quarter finalist of the Champions League.
2005 became 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 one person, but of everyone who had a hand in this - this is 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 the success of FC CSKA is its attitude to business. Most clubs that are funded by government money very often do nothing. Well it becomes noticeable by the example of the club "Saturn". As practice shows, the existence of a team for public money is a waste of taxpayers' funds. Post-Soviet and Russian football in this form cannot be a business, because the solution of issues from the financial point of view is not the responsibility of the team leaders - they have only sports tasks. This means there is no financial benefit. Because of this, such clubs receive only budgetary funds.
But with private funding, things are different. Because in this process it is necessary to control the expenditure of funds on a daily basis, starting from this, Roman Babaev and Yevgeny Giner have created their own strategy, which has been successfully used for more than 10 years.
Strategy
The club places bets on players who have not yet been promoted, not on popular and young footballers, but on talented players.
Yes, inviting such members is always risky. But it must be done wisely. It is necessary to take into account the character, marital status, mentality and, of course, the player's perspective and ambitions.
A small list of young footballers who gained fame in FC CSKA during the reign of Babaev and Giner:
- Ahmed Moussa is a participant in the 2014 World Championship.
- Milos Krasic is a participant in the 2004 Olympics.
- Wagner Love is a 2007 America's Cup participant.
- Chidi Odia is a 2006 African Cup of Nations participant.
Investors under Babaev
In order for a football club to become successful in our time, it must attract the attention and funds of investors. Because in the modern world it is impossible for a club to become popular without this.
Roman Babaev and Evgeny Giner understood this perfectly, and therefore they actively began to attract investors for FC CSKA. One of the first sponsors of the team was the "Conti" company. After that the Sibneft company invested money in the club, the total amount of investments amounted to about $ 55 million. Today the Russian Networks company is considered the investor of the football club.
The amount under the signed 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, the construction of a modern elite football stadium that would meet all UEFA requirements. It is planned to build a children's and youth sports school, a business center and, of course, a museum of FC CSKA on the territory allocated for construction.
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 are Jewish, like Yevgeny Giner. There is no reliable information on this matter. Despite all this, I want 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 a favorite of his fans, the fortieth football team in the UEFA rankings, with an annual budget of about ninety million dollars.
With the arrival of Roman Yuryevich Babaev, the CSKA football club achieved really great success, for which both the players and numerous fans are grateful to the CEO.
Today, February 13, Roman Babaev celebrates his birthday. The General Director of PFC CSKA, a lecturer at the Faculty of Management in Team Sports at the RMA Business School is 41 years old.
The VEB-Arena hosted an off-site lesson organized for the students of the Faculty of Management in Team Sports. It began with an introductory tour of the stadium and continued with a master class by PFC CSKA General Director Roman Babaev. He told the RMA business school students about the various aspects of the football club's operations, including the organization of the Academy, stadium operation, interaction with partners and sponsors, the formation of subscription and ticket programs, measures to increase the audience of fans, decision-making on transfer issues, and responded to numerous questions from the audience. Today we bring to your attention a photo report about the past lesson.
On Tuesday, June 26, at the VEB-Arena stadium (3rd Peschanaya street, possession 2 "a"), an off-site lesson will be held organized for students of the C-43, C-44 and C-45 groups "Faculty of Management in Team Sports. A lecture on the topic "Operational activities of a professional football club" will be delivered by PFC CSKA General Director Roman Babaev. The lecture will be preceded by a tour of the stadium. Meeting of the participants of the lesson at 17.30 at the CSKA fan shop. In preparation for the event, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the report on one of the previous classes conducted by Roman Babaev for the students of the RMA business school.
CSKA General Director - on the club's summer transfer campaign.
DON'T PLAN TO SELL THE VITINA- On Twitter, CSKA lists all the summer acquisitions of the club and says: "It was legendary." Did you really succeed?
- I think the guys are just creative (smiles). Legendary - this is, of course, too much. I would refrain from any loud assessments for now. Time will show. Yes, we have done a great job. But, as they say, chickens are counted in the fall. We hope we have not lost with the newbies.
- There can be no two opinions about transfers to the exit?
- Yes, it's a success. Golovin's record transfer to Monaco. Vitinho also left for Flamengo for a very large sum, which is not typical for Brazilian clubs. True, the departure was unexpected for us, since we did not plan to sell it.
- How is it?
- Yes. The footballer's desire to return to his homeland played a decisive role here. He really wanted it. There were no hints that CSKA would leave Vitinho. But in this situation, we went to meet him and, in principle, received good financial compensation.
- Let's talk about newbies.
- We will draw conclusions later. But the acquisition of Abel Hernandez is already justifying itself. Of course, he is a very strong footballer who plays with great desire and dedication. I would like to believe that he will continue in the same spirit. Vlašić, 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 how unusual it sounds for CSKA is not very experienced. Although, of course, the old-timers also remained - Igor Akinfeev, Alan Dzagoev, Mario Fernandez, Zhora Shchennikov, Kirill Nababkin, Vitya Vasin, who went through fire and water.
But there are many players who are just starting their way in big football. I am sure that Viktor Mikhailovich (Goncharenko) and our backbone will be able to achieve results with the newcomers. Perhaps not right away - there will be recessions, but we need to be patient. You need to understand that these are university graduates who are just beginning their career growth.
NISHIMURA - THE BUDGET OPTIONAL
- If Ufa had passed the Rangers in the Europa League, would CSKA have signed Oblyakov?
- Maybe yes. If “Ufa” had made it to the group stage, I think, I would have made every effort to keep the line-up. The negotiations turned out to be difficult and lengthy. In principle, understanding was reached quickly. But there were several conditions, including the team's performance in European competitions. I think the Bashkir club made a very worthy debut in Europe and brought a lot of points to the piggy bank of Russia. Well done, it wasn't enough to get past the Scots. Now we hope that Vanya will reach another level at CSKA. He is now one of the most talented young Russian players, at this age he has a serious baggage of matches in the Premier League.
- There is an opinion that Oblyakov will replace Dzagoev in the future.
- I would not say that. In my opinion, they play differently, not very similar footballers in terms of their qualities. We still believe in Alan. Now he is recovering, I hope that the treatment will bear fruit. Therefore, in this context, we did not consider the transfer of Oblyakov. Moreover, we also have Kostya Kuchaev, who also does not play yet. Ivan, as I said, is a talented, promising midfielder with a Russian passport, which is also important, since a lot of foreigners came to us.
- How did the variant with the Japanese Nishimura come about?
- This is a little unexpected transfer even for me. We looked at one football player, but in the end we paid attention to him. A very budget option. Maximum budget! I cannot voice the numbers. Interesting footballer with qualities. There is a risk of adaptation, but the player himself was eager to join us. We already had a successful experience with a Japanese player.
- Do you consider cooperation with Honda successful?
- Definitely. Honda has done us a lot of good. There can be no two opinions here. After the acquisition of Nishimura, there was immediately a serious interest in us from Japan. So maybe this transition will help us from a marketing point of view as well. How will Nismura do in terms of football? Let's see. We do not expect miracles - and not only from him, but also from other beginners. Young people need time. But, as it seems to me, we managed to close the necessary positions. We even acquired a little more players than those who left.
CSKA SPENDED ON NINE PLAYERS AS ONE
- Why was it not possible to agree on Shimanski? "Legia" asked too much, in your opinion, an amount?
- I would not like to talk in detail about the failed transactions. We had very little time. Here financial conditions came to the fore. We signed nine players, and in fact paid for them as one footballer. So we took into account our budget. It's not a secret for anyone, we always try to carefully spend our funds, observe financial fair play and some rationality in the transfer assessment of a beginner.
- 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, about the same amount. But we must not forget that several players came to us for free. These are the rent of Vlašić, and Bekao, and Hernandez. Yes, the amount that appears in the media is roughly true. But, I hope, both in terms of the number of players and in terms of quality, we did not lose.
- Did you think about returning Dumbia and Wagner Love to CSKA this summer?
“Of course we all miss them. We want to believe that miracles are possible again and again. But here one must first of all be guided not by emotions, but by reason. First, no one gets younger. And secondly, since we have chosen the path of building a young team, then probably looking for answers in the past would not be entirely correct. Although, I will not hide, such thoughts visited us, but I have already named the reasons that stopped from 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 the success of CSKA. And the negotiations took 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 again patience.
- Last question. Is it possible that in the Champions League CSKA will host Real Madrid not at VEB-Arena, but at Luzhniki?
- We are working on this issue. Unfortunately, there are a number of regulatory restrictions. In a group, one match cannot be played in one stadium, and two others - in another. This idea came to us 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
Roman Yuryevich, financial fair play, 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 make the clubs earn themselves, eliminating the financial gap that separates two dozen owners of "dimensionless" budgets from the rest - I personally like. But how to implement this in practice is a big question.
And what are the main problems?
- If everyone honestly fulfills the provisions of the charter, without trying to cheat somewhere, then - okay. Then Platini's idea is good for everyone, including Russia. But we know how imperfect this world is. A simple example. 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: there are many clubs in our country that are supported by corporations, including state 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, it can be stated that these same 5 million of income were obtained, as it were, due to advertising activities.
What about CSKA?
- We have recently summed up the results of the financial 2011. There is a surplus (excess of income over expenses. - Ed.) Of almost half a million dollars. Unfortunately, this is less than we planned. To be honest, we expected a surplus of about 7 million. Such a result would have been possible if CSKA had reached the semifinals in the Europa League. Alas, Vilaj-Boas prevented Porto - a team that was practically invincible at that time.
Does currency exchange rate fluctuations affect the budgets of Russian clubs?
Best of the day
- Undoubtedly. If the euro-dollar pair creeps up, this creates a bias in the budgets towards expenditures, since most of the income from commercial activities in our country is in rubles, and expenses in terms of salaries and transfers of football players are traditionally tied to the euro or the dollar. You sign, for example, a foreigner. He demands: “I don't care what happens to the ruble exchange rate. I wish to receive my legal 50 thousand euros, not a cent less. " And we are forced to transfer rubles to him in European banknotes every month. As a result, the club earns, relatively speaking, ten rubles, and all eleven have to be spent.
Can not one or two, but several clubs work in Russia at the same time?
- I doubt. Over the past five or six years, our clubs have warmed up the market with loud transfers so that with each new "window" we are exposed to more and more unaffordable prices. As soon as the agent makes it clear that the club from the Premier League is showing interest in the player, on the other side they rub their hands with joy: again these "crazy Russians". Hooray, you can earn extra money! Cheating "for Russia" is another plus at least 50% of the real cost of a football player. But buying regardless of prices ... In our Premier League only two out of sixteen clubs can afford this. The rest in this race are not participants - either because of their own ideology, or because of lack of funds.
And CSKA?
- It was not by chance that I mentioned the club philosophy. We at CSKA consider it impossible 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, it happens, sometimes wildly lucky. Let's say Lionel Messi marries a Russian beauty and persuades the Barça president to give up his transfer to CSKA for 25 million euros. Will you take it?
- I see you are a joker ...
But still.
- For 25, of course, we'll take it. If only because tomorrow it can be sold for a hundred. Another question is, how can we, after such a "re-export" look a beauty in the eyes? ..
For this, people have come up with sunglasses. I see, Roman Yuryevich, that you are not complaining about your sense of humor ... But back to the serious one. What is CSKA making the main stake in the revenue side of its budget: earnings in the Champions League, the sale of footballers?
- Taking a player, promoting and selling him at a higher price is not our way. CSKA does not speculate in football players. We always put sports performance at the forefront. It happens, of course, as in his time 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. Someone will say: great business! Of course, but do not forget that during this time Zhirkov also brought CSKA enormous benefits, in 2008 he was recognized as the best footballer in Russia, after which he received an invitation from Chelsea, a club that has not been invited twice. How could we not let him go? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Likewise - with Krasic who moved to Juventus.
As for the financial ideology of the club ... In recent years, our main income has come from a successful performance in the Champions League. Only one participation in group tournament brings to the treasury about 10 million euros. This is one of the main budget items.
"Inter" - Record box office
If the terms of the income part are ranked, then ...
- In second place are receipts from advertising and commercial activities. We try to make the most of the club's capabilities. Our partners represent various sectors of the economy - banking, automobile, hotel ... Further in terms of shaft volume - proceeds from the sale of tickets and season tickets. In Russian football, this segment, alas, is poorly developed. Our clubs cannot, as in the leading championships, “make” a third of the budget only on tickets. In CSKA, this item gives somewhere around 7-8 million dollars a year, or 12-14% of the budget.
And how much was collected in 2011?
- About six million. Traditionally, the most attended match in the championship was the match against Spartak. They managed to sell 50,590 tickets for the April game at Luzhniki. Revenue exceeded RUB 23 million. We made quite good money on games against Zenit, Lokomotiv ... In the Champions League, the maximum income was ensured by the arrival of Inter Milan - almost 26 million rubles. This is our box office record of the year. We had very good training camp with the same Inter in the League quarterfinals and at the game with Manchester United in the fall of 2009. Hopefully, we will be able to overlap these results in the home game with Real Madrid, which would be a plus for the draw that was so unmerciful to CSKA (smiles).
By the way, “Barcelona” has a tidy sum of money only on membership fees of registered fans. Do you think such a tool will work in Russian football?
- Unlikely. Firstly, for Barcelona it is a historical tradition that is more than a hundred years old. Another argument is attendance, which is also very much not in our favor. If Camp Nou received less than forty thousand as part of the Examples, for Barça it is a box office failure. And for Russian teams, with the exception of Spartak and our club (if we play at Luzhniki), such an indicator is a fabulous success. Look, only Kuban has an average attendance at 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 - the procedure for involving fans in the club's equity capital - or going out with their shares on the stock exchange.
In addition, in this case, the fans will have to be given the right to participate in the presidential elections, which is undesirable for our club bosses.
- And that too. I don't think that by pulling on an overseas caftan, our clubs will immediately turn into prosperous enterprises. Yes, European football has a history of exploiting a number of good ideas. But at the same time, there are a lot of nuances - historical and mental, which do not allow making it suitable for everyone. For example, the Bundesliga clubs, unlike Barcelona, do not have such an item of income.
Started as a legal advisor
It is known that you came to work at CSKA while still a student. Remember that match from childhood, after which you became a fan of the army team?
- I will not dissemble: I followed football, but I was more worried about basketball CSKA. The mid-nineties, as you know, were not the best period for Russian football.
What is your first business in this field?
- I remember the trial - it coincided with my arrival - in relation to one publication that published an article entitled "Football CSKA finances Chechen militants." I can't vouch for absolute accuracy, but something like that. There was a rather noisy trial, and we got a refutation.
Have you ever defended Valery Gazzaev's reputation? He, too, had enough conflicts with the media at one time.
- Well, Valery Georgievich will stand up for himself so that it will not seem a little. I personally did not have to defend him. But in the spring of 2005, our UEFA Cup semi-final with Parma turned into such a scandal that I will probably never forget it.
Was the Italian club's complaint to UEFA claiming that their goalkeeper was wounded by pyrotechnics from the CSKA fan sector, was there any basis?
- To be honest, the Italians then were very close to getting our disqualification. But their appeal had one weak link - it was based on falsified evidence. If it had not been possible to prove this, there would have been no victorious final in Lisbon in the history of CSKA. Fortunately, we have managed to bring the seniors to clean water. In two days, we collected all the necessary evidence.
In short, when they meet, the army team will definitely not give the people from Parma now?
- We'll serve it today. Over the past almost seven years, the entire leadership has changed there.
Fight the ruble against Zenit
You recently said that a transfer to Doumbia costs at least € 30 million. Is there a fixed compensation in his contract that can be paid by the other club to get the Ivorian striker?
- No, we are opposed to such options.
It seems that CSKA will not let the leading football player go to another Russian team anyway, even if the amount of the transfer will be noticeably higher than the offer of foreigners.
- We consider the principle “to sell anywhere, if only more expensive” is unacceptable. For a variety of reasons. Let's say that foreigners give ten million for our player, and someone in Russia - all 15. Well, we sold it to the guys from our native Premier League. And then what? As a result, we have strengthened our direct competitor, which bypasses CSKA in the championship, and we get a less preferred option for the draw in the Champions League. And then we won't get there at all. Financial losses in this case turn out to be much higher than the immediate benefit.
Does the club have a certain line, proposals below which are swept aside even in negotiations with foreign partners?
- It all depends on the particular player. We are ready to discuss any reasonable figure.
It looks like a purely financial rivalry is taking place in our football. 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 great - it will benefit the whole of Russian football.
You said this somewhat detachedly. Fighting Zenit on the field of commerce - isn't that exciting for CSKA?
- 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 the fans. Or take Zenit shareholders. In terms of financial strength, Gazprom is able to outperform almost any European company. I think our starting positions are not very comparable.
General Director of CSKA Moscow football club Roman Babayev in an interview with NEWS.am correspondent Vere Martirosyan spoke about his Armenian roots, why CSKA did not acquire Henrikh Mkhitaryan in due time and what steps the club is taking now to increase the attendance of its new stadium ...
Recently, an article about the most influential Armenians in Russian football appeared on one of the Russian sports sites. It turned out that there are a lot of Armenians in Russian football. It's no secret that you too Armenian roots... Where is your family from?
My parents are Armenians. We are from Baku. I lived in Armenia. I went to school to them. Pushkin. I know Armenian, but due to lack of practice, now I can hardly speak, although I understand perfectly.
When was the last time you were in Armenia?
In 2000. I plan to visit next year. I really miss you. I know Yerevan very well. For a long time he lived in Byurakan. As a teenager, I climbed Mount Aragats all the way. When I lived in Armenia, there was a very difficult period - cold, dark years. But, despite this, I have very fond memories. As well as from Nagorno-Karabakh. As a child, I was in Stepanakert and Shushi. Our relatives lived there.
CSKA President Evgeny Lennorovich Giner also has Armenian roots?
Yes, he does not hide the fact that Armenian blood also flows in his veins. 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 just football. Historically, it happened that the Armenians showed themselves in various spheres. 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 - my mother was a doctor, my father was an engineer. But they did everything for me to get 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 follow, but in recent times there are not many reasons for joy. At the club level, teams have no success in Eurocups, and the 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 tried to find a job. Through a friend, the opportunity arose to work in the CSKA football club as a legal adviser. Then, under the previous leadership, the club was not worried better times... Honestly, I thought I wouldn't last long here. With the knowledge and ambitions that Moscow State University gives, I wanted more. But he endured it, and then, as they say, got involved. And it seemed to me that doing sports law is very interesting. At that time, there was no such thing as sports law. There was a kind of vacuum, no one understood how to conclude transfer and employment contracts. In 2001, when Evgeny Lennorovich Giner came to the club, it immediately became clear that the club had set new big goals. He invited me to stay. And I do not regret at all that I stayed.
Can you say that you are good at football or your role is to be a good manager?
I'm more of a manager. Although, when you have been working in football for more than 20 years, you begin to understand to one degree or another. I do not participate in the breeding work of the club, precisely as a breeder. I do not consider myself educated enough to evaluate footballers. We put our trust in breeders. My task, if a candidate has already been selected, is to conduct negotiations as efficiently as possible, conclude a contract, and ensure the player's life.
Where do the general directors of football clubs study, and most of all, what professions become CEOs in football clubs?
There are many educational programs that provide an opportunity to learn essential skills in a short time. And the most important thing is to use the resources that are at the disposal of the club as efficiently as possible. I don't see much difference between the CEO of a commercial structure and a football club. Of course, you need to understand football, but in fact it is necessary to use the resources that are at the disposal of the club as efficiently as possible in order to achieve maximum results, both sports 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, we spend so much. It is desirable to earn more, but due to objective economic reasons, it is not always possible. Manchester United's CEO Ed Woodward has a long career in a consulting company. The club drew attention to him and invited him. The largest percentage are lawyers and commercial directors who become CEOs. Sometimes and former footballers but they are more likely to become sports directors.
How do you feel about criticism? I often read criticism addressed to you, especially criticize your statements about the attendance of CSKA matches?
I react very calmly. Criticism is sometimes very helpful. We cannot assume that everything is good just because we are the most titled club in Russia. Despite fierce competition, over the past five years we have become champions three times and two silver medals. 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 try to get acquainted with all the materials that are dedicated to our club. In terms of attendance at matches, we have taken a number of very serious measures over the past few months, and the result was not long in coming. Of course, it is not very correct to cite the match against Manchester United as an example. On the other hand, last year we played against such teams as Tottenham and Monaco, but the stadium was not completely filled. Yes, Manchester United is a more status team, but even less this also applies to the work of our services, the acceleration of security screenings, 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.
And all this has not happened before?
It was, but our stadium is new. He recently turned a year old. For a similar kind of object, this is a negligible period. This is a unique stadium. A business center is integrated into it. We adopted this idea from Stamford Bridge in London. We also raised the level of service for fans - we increased the number of security checkpoints, which made it possible to reduce queues, and improved the quality of catering. Very serious measures are being taken to ensure the maximum safety of the fans. Separately, it should be noted our fans, with whom we regularly communicate and are in close contact. There have been no offenses lately.
In addition, despite the economic problems, we have lowered ticket prices, even for Champions League matches. And I repeat - we already have a result. Not yet the one I would like to have in the end. But the attendance of 16,000 per match is not the limit, but not too bad either. We will try to reach the level of about 20,000.
Is the CEO position the limit of your ambitions or will you strive for more?
I am very pleased with everything. I am very grateful to the shareholders of the club, my colleagues, our team, whose successes make it possible to regularly achieve sports and economic results. I have no ambitions to become the Minister of Sports.
What can you say about last match CSKA in the Champions League against Manchester United? The fans of your club looked decent to the end, although the team lost by a large score.
It was a great football celebration. Especially considering that the two legendary clubs Liverpool and Manchester were simultaneously in Moscow. The result was disappointing, but in fairness I must say that Manchester United is a very strong team and it would be difficult for any Russian club to play with them. I was delighted 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 the chances of CSKA in the group?
Given the current situation, Basel will be our main rival. 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 the second place will go against Basel.
They say that at one time CSKA was interested in Mkhitaryan. How serious was the interest from the club back then?
We were really interested in him. He played well in Ukraine, while Movsisyan played well in Spartak. Mkhitaryan already declared himself very brightly at that time. When he was offered to us, he had already played at Shakhtar. And we are very careful with our transfer policy. And above a certain maximum, we do not raise the transfer amounts. Unfortunately, at that time, his transition was no longer possible.
Vera Martirosyan
