Former head coach CSKA Dimitris Itoudis currently at the head of the Turkish government Fenerbahçe in a conversation with , expressed the hope that the Moscow club and other Russian basketball teams will return to the international arena as quickly as possible.
On Thursday, the VTB United League Super Cup began in Moscow with the participation of UNICS, Lokomotiv-Kuban, CSKA, Zenit, MBA, Paris NN and Turkish Besiktas and Fenerbahce. In the opening match MBA and Fenerbahce played, the guests were stronger – 94:79.
— How difficult was the victory for you in the opening match of the VTB United League Super Cup?
— First of all, I thank the RFB and the VTB United League for giving me the opportunity to participate in such a tournament. I was looking forward to the opportunity to return to Moscow, to see my friends Andrei Vatutin, Natalia Furaeva, Andrei Shchepankov, Nikolai Tsynkevich – all those with whom I worked at CSKA.
As for the game, MBA surprised us. The opponent looked like a college team – in a good way. Showed focus, speed, decent hitting percentage and aggressive basketball. At first we were lagging behind and it looked like an MBA opportunity. For us, the opening victory is a good reason to take the remaining matches seriously in order to give our best in the Super Cup.
— What is for you the main difference between CSKA, where you worked for eight years, and Fenerbahce?
– The main thing now is that CSKA returns to the international arena as quickly as possible, I sincerely wish this to my former club. As well as Zenit, UNICS, Lokomotiv-Kuban. Russian clubs need international competition, that’s undeniable.
If we compare the two teams, CSKA is an incredibly organized club. In addition, for me it is a real family, to which it is always a pleasure to return. The two superclubs, Russian and Turkish, are very popular in their countries and have many fans. Fenerbahçe, for example, is supported by millions of people around the world. Basketball is generally very popular in Türkiye. It is of course not football which has a clear lead, but it is certainly the second most interesting sport in the country.
— Are you going to meet informally in Moscow with some of your former colleagues from the military club?
– Certainly! I look forward to having dinner with CSKA president and vice-president Andrei Vatutin and Natalya Furaeva,” Itoudis told .
The VTB United League Super Cup takes place from September 21 to 24 in Moscow. The tournament is named after Honored Coach of the USSR Alexander Gomelsky. The current winner of the competition is Zenit.
Watch live broadcasts of the VTB United League Super Cup matches on the TV channels of the Match holding company, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
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