"We are the first club in world football to face such refereeing"

After defeating Krasnodar (0:5), Fakel announced the departure of Dmitry Pyatibratov. The 48-year-old specialist has been working at the Voronezh club since August last year. In 23 matches under his leadership, the team won three times, drew seven times and lost 13 times. In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, Pyatibratov spoke about the reasons for his departure, judicial mistakes and the possible transfer of Artem Dzyuba last summer.

We are all for fair sport, and we wanted to play with fair refereeing.

— Why did you decide to leave the club?

— My departure from Fakel is a combination of factors. Probably the key moment: in the second half against Krasnodar, we broke down psychologically. A certain series of events influenced the players — it was probably necessary to look for some way out of the situation. I didn't see any point in shifting the blame to someone else - I needed to initiate my departure in order to shake up the team.

— Are the series of events caused by referees' mistakes in the matches against Zenit and Orenburg?

— What has been happening lately does not fit in my head! The referees' decisions had a direct impact on the result. You see, we are the first club in the history of world football to face something like this. No one has ever been in this situation before. Two matches in a row have eliminated our players, and in the middle of the second half. And after that, the errors of the judges are recognized by the expert commission. For the whole country. But people continue to receive appointments. What kind of "dividends" do we receive? Playing in unequal squads, lost points, reduced mental and physical condition. Of course, this is an extraordinary event. How can a coach prepare a team for a match, obviously playing in the minority?

— And all this has affected the players?

— This situation has had a big impact on the guys. I can train attack, defense. But how can we attack if we are outnumbered by Zenit for more than half the game? Naturally, I didn't like these things. I never absolve myself of responsibility, but... It put a lot of pressure on the players. Fakel is already fighting for survival, every year we have the smallest budget. And it also turns out to be a game in unequal conditions. It's difficult when there's so much pressure on the players. Naturally, the mistakes that have been made affect the results. Probably, this psychological attack on the players made itself felt. Plus, Sergei Bozhin was also influenced. He was accused of racism! This situation did not go away without a trace — we missed in Orenburg, and it was by an incredible coincidence that he scored in his own goal.

Chasing the bulls: Krasnodar takes advantage of Spartak's misfire

The Southern club increased the gap from the red and white to five points and retained a three-point advantage over Zenit

— How did the management of Fakel react to your decision?

— I explained my position, expressed my intentions and wishes. We had a constructive conversation. We shook hands and parted on warm and good terms. Each of us is working to ensure that the Torch develops. At that moment, I thought that this was the most correct solution.

— Did you announce your retirement after the final whistle in Krasnodar?

- yes. I immediately told the guys because the guys are trying, they see this injustice. We are all for fair sport, and we wanted to play with fair refereeing on equal terms. But it didn't work out. We became hostages of such a situation. Too much has fallen on the "Torch"... Another home match with Akhmat will be held without an audience. It's also stressful for football players. When I came here, we also played without an audience against Akron in the Russian Cup. It turns out that too much falls to the share of the "Torch"...

How can I protect the players? I tried to influence, explain, and talk. They're giving their all, fighting. Yes, maybe we lack offensive skills. Because Evgeny Markov is gone, the top scorer of the last two years. And those who came need time to adapt — they have the qualities.

It's a difficult situation. But then again, I can't bring myself to throw a stone at one of the players. Everyone gave their best. Plus, there has always been support from managers. In general, there was such an optimistic picture before the winter break... We managed to stabilize the squad, we worked strategically correctly, and at the end of 2024 we had a series without defeats. We didn't lose, we conceded the least. That is, this is something that a coach can influence: discipline, game model, physical condition. But I can't influence the referee's mistakes in any way.

— Did the management persuade you to stay?

— I'm an adult who doesn't make emotional decisions. When Fakel approached me to lead the team for the second time, I didn't even ask what the salary and contract term were. There were no such thoughts. I came to help a club that is dear to me. And people understood perfectly well that I worked with my heart and soul, and I worked quite well. If I have made a decision, then I have weighed everything and thought it through.

We don't have much opportunity, we can't pay millions for players.

— At the same time, Fakel has a clear trend: none of the coaches has worked a full season. Did you have any fears that the moment to say goodbye would come soon?

— There were definitely no fears, because it's better to fall sometimes than not to fly at all. I'm a brave enough person. I wish we could have done a little better in the transfer market. But Roman Guramovich (Askhabazde, CEO of Fakel. — Ed.) and Kirill Nikolaevich (Kotov, sports director of Fakel. — Ed.) they did everything possible that depends on them. We don't have much opportunity, we can't pay millions for players. And several more transfers were disrupted. I would like a few more highly qualified players to join the team, so that the rest would follow them. Sasha Lomovitsky appeared, he is a skilled football player.

For various reasons, not everyone wants to go to the Torch — the struggle for survival, logistics, an artificial field. I really wanted to see Artem Dzyuba in the team... And there was a moment when this transfer was real. But again, these are my desires. There are still realities that the club is facing. We must pay tribute to the leaders, they have done a great and serious job.

— Were there any contacts with Dzyuba in the summer when he was looking for a team?

- yes. And in principle, this [signing] could happen.

— Evgeny Markov joined Ural, from the RPL to the first league. Were you surprised by his decision?

— It didn't surprise me at all. Zhenya came to Fakel when I took over the club for the first time. He can play at a high level. Zhenya gave the Torch everything he could. Still, a gaming career is fleeting. As far as I know, he received a very attractive financial offer. Zhenya went for a new challenge. He was honest in his remarks, and we thanked each other for working together.

— Was it a serious loss for you?

— Of course, it's a loss — he's still Fakel's top scorer. You can say what you want, but the man has been scoring for our club for two years. Add 2-3 winning goals that Markov could have scored this spring. Then the picture would be completely different. As I mentioned earlier, a combination of factors has influenced the current position of the team.

— This spring, Fakel has not scored a single goal in the championship.

— And how can I demand goals from the strikers if they have worked defensively in two matches because we were outnumbered? I had to remove Vladimir Ilyin to strengthen the defense. Alexey Kashtanov missed the match with Khimki due to illness, and then he was getting in shape. Belaidi Pusi is a very good striker with explosive speed and a strong shot. But he came to us late, at the end of the third training camp. We didn't have time to integrate it into our game.

After the match with Zenit, we called Semak on the phone.

— You said that Bozhin, who was accused of racism, was worried...

— Anyone would worry. Moreover, we are very fond of hyping on a topic without understanding it. We talked with Sergey Semak, we had a phone conversation. Perhaps there was aggressive behavior from Bozhin in the heat of the fight, but this is normal, and here he is being seriously accused. We managed to quickly settle this issue with the Zenit head coach, but the player was still worried. Bozhin is a professional, he has worked and trained a lot. We tried to support him in every possible way. But we are all living people — when they write about you like that in the media, it cannot but affect your psychological state.

— After Zenit, you lost to Orenburg. Did you have a feeling that a flight was imminent?

— We lost due to the unfair removal of Dylan Mertens at the beginning of the second half. In the first 45 minutes, the opponent was restrained, everything worked, and eight minutes after the resumption of the game, Mertens was removed... How can this be explained? But this happened after the match with Zenit, in which the chief referee and the VAR made a mistake. And immediately the second case! It hit the players' self-esteem very hard. After the final whistle, there was an unpleasant male conversation in the locker room. But this defeat was the key. If we had played 0-0, the situation would have been different — the mood in the media, in the club and among the players.

They write about us that we play undisciplined, so we leave. But the red cards turned out to be wrong in the end. And the boys also feel the pressure, they ask, "Who's going to protect us?" We pulled them out of such an emotional state after Orenburg... Few people can imagine.

— How did Mertens react to the removal?

"He had tears in his eyes!" He sincerely wanted to help the team, but as a legionnaire, there is still a lot of pressure on him. Everyone is playing for the club and honor. I can't tell you what the mood was in the locker room. But the most important thing is that after two consecutive refereeing errors, there was no reaction. I personally don't need an apology, but can someone say, "Sorry, we made a mistake against Fakel in two consecutive matches"?

And so the moments played out and went on. Of course, it affected the emotional background.

— What was it like to go out against Krasnodar in such a state?

— The team has a stable game, good defense — of course, not counting the match against Krasnodar. The situation is not hopeless, the separation from the joints is not so huge. Fakel can play with dignity — you just need to deal with the psychological state, but this is the most difficult part. The psychology of the winner, plus the ability of a football player to work properly on the field in a stressful situation, determines his skill. The situation is not easy, but one victory and everything changes. I believe in the Torch. My departure is related to the players getting an extra charge.

I'm going to Krasnodar to visit Musaev and take a look at the training process.

— Have you decided on your future?

— The future is vague now. I'll go home to Sochi, rest for a few days, and then a new stage will begin. I'm going to Krasnodar for a few days. To Murad Musaev. I'll take a look at the training process, as I was very impressed with their game. Sergey Galitsky's farm is always admired. There is a lot of energy and thoughts. The Torch has a drawing of the game. Before the match with Krasnodar, no one outplayed us. I'm not ashamed of this job.

— So you don't feel tired after working at Fakel?

— "Tired, I need to rest, recharge, rethink" — this is definitely not about me. How can you get tired if you're doing what you love? You have a privilege! You play in the best stadiums in the country. You are one of the 16 coaches in the whole country. Half of them are foreigners, relatively speaking. Therefore, the pressure on the coach is the most severe stress, sleepless nights. But we know where we're going initially. I want this drive and courage! When 27,000 people in Krasnodar cheer against us, it's an adrenaline rush. Now we need to figure out how to deal with this pressure next time. How to reach the players so that they don't crumble when the score becomes 0:2.

Spicy from Grenada: how many goals will Dzyuba score in the match against the "pirate" team

Will Kerzhakov's record be beaten and what will surprise the unusual opponent?

— And yet, how would you rate your work at Fakel? On the one hand, you mentioned a unbeaten streak and a good defensive game. On the other hand, 15th place, five points before the finals.

— It was the formation of a new team with old players. We've changed our philosophy. The young talent Andrey Ivlev, a guy born in 2006, who can already become a foundation player, started playing in the team. We showed a good level of football and steadily scored points, gave battle to the top clubs. Yes, we lost all the matches in the spring and couldn't score — that's where the coaching flaw is. Perhaps the exercises should have been reviewed.

Now I will calmly rethink my work and find mistakes. It doesn't happen that a coach, like any other person, doesn't allow them. You should always consider your work through the prism of what could be improved.

— What can you tell the Fakel fans?

— I want to start by thanking the management of Fakel for their contribution to my development. And of course, I would like to say a special thank you to the club's fans, who constantly supported us. We always heard them wherever we played — at home or away.