CSKA President Andrey Vatutin told how difficult it was to invite foreign players this year and why Nikola Milutinov stayed in the team.
On December 8, the exchange of American basketball player Brittney Griner for Russian Viktor Bout took place in the United Arab Emirates. Greiner was arrested in February while attempting to smuggle hash oil through Sheremetyevo airport. On August 4, the Khimki City Court sentenced an American woman to 9 years in a penal colony in a drug trafficking case. In October, the Moscow Regional Court upheld the verdict. In addition to the prison term, the basketball player was punished with a fine of one million rubles. The 32-year-old athlete was serving his sentence in penal colony No. 2 in the village of Yavas.
– In the summer, I asked you about the club’s strategy for the coming season.
– I remember. He said then that the goal is more important than the decision, since everything that will happen to CSKA will depend on their choice.
– What is the final strategy?
– Let Russian players prove themselves. Yes, there are positions where foreigners are indispensable, it is a sin, for example, not to use Milutinov. The Russian market is a competitive environment, here you cannot buy whoever you want with one click without encountering objections from your rivals. Therefore, where they could not be reinforced by the Russians, they were reinforced by foreigners. It was not easy, the legionnaires, for obvious reasons, do not rush to Russia. Fortunately, the situation with Brittney Greiner, which complicated the foreign selection, has been resolved. But in front of the foreign athletes who now compete in Russia, we would like to remove, if not a hat, at least a baseball cap. They make a lot of money, but it’s not just money that determines people’s actions. Despite what is happening, the guys are performing their contracts 100%.
– Milutinov is a European star. Doesn’t he get sour from what he’s immersed in in Russia?
– Nikola’s level is that of the five best players in the Euroleague, but he himself wanted to stay at CSKA. Milutinov has one year left on his contract at the start of the season, he is eager to win the VTB League after a failure in May, and finally, the Serb is simply comfortable in the team and in Moscow. His contract is rather big, it is also an argument, but the sporting motivation is also strong. You know my principle: whoever wanted to leave, he left, the club did not stand in the way. Nicolas didn’t even think of leaving.
The winning streak of CSKA, leader of the VTB United League since the start of the season, is 17 games. Serbian center Milutinov was named October’s Most Valuable Player in the VTB League.
You will soon find the full version of Andrey Vatutin’s interview on the website!
Source : MatchTV
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
