Artem Gagarin: The fact that Kryvbas reached the UPL in two years is the result of the work of the entire team

More recently, in the summer of 2020, a solemn ceremony of the presentation of the restart of FC Kryvbas took place in Krivoy Rog. The glorious name, which returned to domestic football on the basis of FC Gornyak (Krivoy Rog), immediately attracted increased attention of fans and specialists.

Events unfolded quickly: in the 2020/21 season, Kryvbas became the bronze medalist of the Second League, finishing second in Group B and moving up in class after Metalist, and in the 2021/22 season, once again placed behind the Kharkiv team, the Krivorozhye residents were second with a margin of the moment of the forced suspension of the championship of Ukraine due to the war.

Now that Kryvbas has been accepted into the Ukrainian Premier League for the 2022/23 season, we asked the club’s vice-president Artem Gagarin to summarize the performance of the first representative team in the PFL competitions and talk about the future plans of the Kryvyi Rihs.

“From the very beginning, Kryvbas tuned the work to the level of UPL”

First of all, let me start with congratulations. Could you believe that Kryvbas could reach the UPL from the Second League?

– History, as they say, is written by dreamers – and if we did not dream of achieving this, we would not be able to do it. We pay tribute to the work of our entire team – every coach, every player, every employee of the club has made a contribution to this success.

But I must tell you that from the very beginning we set up all club services at the level of the Premier League. If we did media activities, then at the level of the Premier League. If we worked on the infrastructure – our base, the club stadium – then with thoughts about the Premier League. If newcomers were selected, then also for the level required for performances in the Premier League.

Let’s remember that at first we worked with the players who got us during the restart of Kryvbas. Already in the winter, quite skillful newcomers were invited to the Second League. And what happened next with the selection work was exclusively strengthening with the thought of the highest level. That is why the whole team continued to progress – the competition increased, and even those guys who have been at the club for a long time and found times with less ambitious tasks, they also reached out to the best and developed.

Therefore, in answering your question, we set ourselves the bar to which we wanted to grow, and consistently worked to be where we were. Of course, I am very annoyed that the second part of the 2021/22 season was disrupted due to the barbaric invasion of the aggressor. We carefully prepared for it and intended to enter the Premier League on a sporting basis and win medals. Unfortunately, Russia not only stole this dream from us, but it will not succeed in destroying domestic football, and the fact that it is planned to restart football competitions in Ukraine soon confirms the love of freedom and indestructibility of our people.

– How do you plan to prepare for the 2022/23 season?

– First of all, our club must appoint a new head coach, and only then, after holding joint consultations, we will decide on the schedule and venue of the training camp. So it will be logical, agree. Now you can say anything – however, the 2022/23 season will be unique, and our task is to have time to assemble a team.

“The team will not be in the same form as before February 24, 2022”

– In what composition will Kryvbas prepare for the start in the UPL?

– We can say for sure that this will no longer be the team that was before February 24, 2022. We will have conversations with all the players and the new head coach and decide on the squad that will take part in the preparation and enter the new season. It’s one thing – if the club decided not to renew the contract, we’ll let you know.

However, if the person himself does not want to return to Ukraine, despite the current contract and the possibility of fulfilling it in the championship at domestic stadiums, then we will definitely inform the public about this. Now it is very important for us all together, each in his own place, to work for victory, and the football championship is also very important in this case.

Undoubtedly, the safety of the players, the definition of the format and venue of the competition are now in the foreground. While it is premature to talk about it, there is a war going on. However, the UAF and the UPL and PFL clubs have reached a fundamental agreement – ​​the competitions should be held in our country.

— Kryvbas agrees with this or expressed a special opinion at the meetings?

– Undoubtedly, we agree with this and voted for it ourselves! It seems that the name “Ukrainian football championship” does not contain the words “Poland”, “Turkey”, right? This is the championship of the free and independent state of Ukraine. Our position is that football players cannot be in a special position if our soldiers are on the front line, our Rudomine workers are at their workplace, and millions of Ukrainians are in their homes or as IDPs, but they also experience air raids and stay in shelters and all work together for the victory of their homeland.

If a fundamental decision is made to play in Ukraine, this is a signal for all clubs that it is possible and necessary to start preparations. The conditions of the war make themselves felt – in matters of security, logistics, organization. Everyone must be adaptive, ready for any turn and course of events. I have always used this postulate: “there is nothing impossible, there are tasks and goals.” The same applies to Kryvbas, UPL, PFL and UAF. There is a need to resume competitions, which means that this will be done exactly as it should be.

We will follow the decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers, UAF and UPL. We will adhere to all safety recommendations. However, the most important thing now is to play football for our people at home. This is also part of our state patriotic position.

– What will be the goals for the next season?

We are maximalists, but at the same time realists. The main task, our common one, is to preserve Ukrainian football. One of the solutions is to resume competitions in the national championship, which is welcomed by the coaching staff of all teams, players and fans.

“Fedorchuk redirected funds for the sold T-shirts of the ultras of Kryvbas, defending Ukraine”

– Over the years, football players with big names played for Kryvbas – some of them, according to press rumors, were in the club’s field of vision in the previous two seasons. Big returns possible?

— The history of FC Kryvbas is long, indeed, footballers who have achieved significant success played for us, and in other clubs too. By the way, someone agrees, someone does not agree that the current Kryvbas is adopting the history of Kryvbas, which existed in 1959-2013. But we accept the history of all Kryvyi Rih football – and Kryvbas, and Gornyak, and other clubs that adequately performed on the all-Ukrainian arena from our city.

So, we are really lucky: for the vast majority of players, Kryvbas is not just a name. For example, Valeriy Fedorchuk himself turned to us: “I am selling my T-shirts at a charity auction, can you send money to Kryvbas?” We answer: “Of course, thank you, there is a need to support our soldiers on the front line, our city.” So, through us, Valery transferred money for our ultras, who are fighting and need equipment and equipment.

Or Mladen Bartulovich – we invited him for at least half a year in the 2021/22 season to help Kryvbas take the team to the UPL on the field and end his career in Kryvbas, where he spent his best years. I think it would be symbolic. But by that time he had chosen coaching in Ingulets. It so happened that because of the war the season ended ahead of schedule, he did not have time to finish playing or start coaching. However, this is our man, Bart – not only a good football player, but also an incredible personality.

For such people, the door of Kryvbas is always hospitably open. Indeed, this is a sign of a real club: if the players want to return here, as if they were home.

– We know that Kryvbas is over the creation and reconstruction of its own infrastructure. In what state did the war find it, and what is happening at your big construction sites now?

– You know, we recently visited our construction sites in Krivoy Rog. The stadium “Metallurg” was visited by the President of the UAF Andrey Vasilyevich Pavelko and People’s Deputy of Ukraine Yuriy Valeryevich Koryavchenkov. Construction was indeed carried out as planned, but now it is frozen – not relevant, there are more pressing needs for both the city and our defenders. But as soon as the war ends with our victory, we will rebuild everything, we will restore everything.

The Gornyak Stadium is already our reconstruction, it also went according to plan, the foundation had already been poured and supports for future stands had already been put up, we even paid for the construction of the field, but we decided to suspend it – there is where to spend money: on Krivoy Rog, defense, people.

The main thing is to save the city, and plans for the reconstruction of our stadiums have been clearly developed, in peacetime they will be implemented and these will be very worthy arenas.

– What will be your memories of participating in PFL competitions?

– Very positive. Kryvbas has achieved good sports results both in the Second and First Leagues. We gained invaluable experience, were in constant creative search, tried out different coaches and players, each of whom, as I said, gave something to our club.

We hope that we also made our contribution to the development of PFL, because we were also in the work process all the time. I personally attended 99% of the club’s matches, with the exception of 2-3 games – therefore, I saw all the needs and problems that the competition has, and reported them to help with their solution. Also in the media plan, they added various marketing moves, communicated with various sponsors and partners to make this product more attractive.

Of course, access to the UPL should be different – with medals, with celebrations in the city, which would be attended by many Kryvyi Rih residents … But the war stole this from us. However, the most important thing is that at this time Ukraine retains its football, pays tribute to it as a sport that so many of our citizens love. This gives great hope.

The way the national team of Ukraine with dignity, despite the adverse circumstances, fought for access to the World Cup will become an example for all our players and coaches, as well as an inspiration for our warriors.