"I didn't think that the situation with Artiga's dismissal was possible"
This spring, Khimki has once again become one of the most discussed clubs in Russian football. This is due to serious financial problems that began at the end of last year. According to various sources, football players and coaches have not been paid their salaries since November or December. This was partly due to the detention of Khimki investor Tufan Sadigov by law enforcement agencies, who was then released on bail. Despite all the problems, the Moscow region club managed to show good results in March and early April, which allows it to go in 12th place four rounds before the finish of the championship, having pulled one point away from the transition zone and 10 from the relegation zone from the RPL.
However, the week before last, a new scandal broke out — head coach Frank Artiga was fired. After that, the team refused to go to training for two days, demanding payment of debts. The main players ended their strike after the visit of RPL President Alexander Alaev, who announced the start of external management of Khimki and organized an early transfer of prize money for participation in the tournament, which partially paid off salary debts.
In an interview with Izvestia, Khimki midfielder Ilya Berkovsky spoke about the situation in the team, explained how the Moscow region team continues to score points despite all the problems, and also answered the question of whether debts affect him in everyday terms.
— How, after all the scandals of the last two weeks, did you manage to achieve a draw in the last round game against Akron (2:2)?
— I think it's because we have a team that's like a fist. Everyone stands up for each other. Due to this, all the mountains are knee-deep for us. We try to be one. Everyone understands the situation we're in and that we need to score points at all costs. That's why we play every match to win. Yes, it doesn't always work out — with the same Akron, the result was only a draw. Yes, it's clear that this also earned us a point — now all the points earned are important. But I want more.
— Considering that Khimki almost avoided direct relegation and are outside the zone of transitional matches, is there still moral strength to fight to the end for survival in conditions of lack of money?
— In any case, it's everyone's business. We are currently trying to act as a team, but apart from that, everyone has contracts and plans for the future, because it is not known what will happen in the summer after the season. But at the moment, each of us is doing everything possible to solve the problem. We want to stay in the RPL, we don't want to play in any joints. So we play for the team and for ourselves. We are professionals and we take our work very seriously.
— How much does the club owe you now? Is it true that after Alexander Alaev's visit, Khimki paid off part of the arrears for the end of 2024?
— I'll say this: the payments have gone. I believe that the meeting with the president of the RPL contributed to this. San Sanych came and talked to both us and the management. I will not say for which specific period the debts have already been paid — I do not want to bring these details to the public, as progress has begun and the club intends to close this issue. I hope that the dynamics will continue to be positive.
— Did Alaev persuade the main squad to return to training during the meeting? Or did they realize that the fact of his arrival already meant the success of the strike and they could return to their studies?
— For our part, we also wanted to work and prepare for the match. There was no such thing that someone in the team did not want to train. We are all football players. And we want to work every day and make progress, no matter what the problems. It's just that the situation had reached a point where it was necessary to find a way to pay attention to it. At the same time, if we had been somewhere higher, in the middle of the table, with a large margin from the transition zone, we could have done something more. But anyway, we wanted to keep playing and fighting for survival. That's why we returned to training as soon as Alaev came to us. We understand where we are. And that every missed training day will cost us a lot. Therefore, we are glad that classes have resumed, and positive dynamics have begun to appear financially — thanks to San Sanych for this. I hope this dynamic will continue.
— Is it true that Alaev argued the need to continue training and playing for results, including by saying that the higher Khimki finishes the championship, the more money they will receive from the TV contract and from bookmakers, and part of these funds will be distributed to pay off salary debts?
— In any case, it motivated us to play better, so that the club would earn more, being as high as possible. It's just that some of these funds come to the club's account only at the end of the season, and in our situation, RPL met us halfway by transferring some of the money to Khimki in advance.
— Two days after the resumption of training, Khimki lost to Zenit with a minimum score (0:1) and had a chance to take away his points. How did you manage to get together like this?
— I repeat, we have a team — it motivates us. We try to go out on the field and play to the maximum of our abilities.
— Did the dismissal of Frank Artiga affect this strike?
— The decision to do this was difficult, but it has nothing to do with the dismissal of the coach and the appointment of a new one. It's just a coincidence that we stopped going out to practice right after Artiga's retirement.
— So you were going to strike initially?
— Yes, we were just a little late with this decision — we postponed it the first, second, third and fourth times. As a result, it turned out that they did it almost simultaneously with the change of coach.
— And how did they react to Artiga's resignation in general?
— I'll speak for myself: honestly, I didn't think that such a situation with his dismissal was even possible. Moreover, for some words he said (at the end of the last match at the head of Khimki against Krylia Sovetov (1:3), Artiga made a statement about the critical financial situation, supporting the players. I don't know what this is about. I only know the information that is available in the media. I can say that Frank helped us, tried to solve many issues as a psychologist. He acted as an intermediary between us and the foreigners in the team, because they have a slightly different mentality. So thank you very much to Artiga, and I wish him only good luck.
— In your opinion, did Adiev manage to find a common language with the team?
— I think so. If we're fighting in every match, then here's the answer. We played two games well with him. Yes, we scored only one point out of a possible six, but there is still a positive trend. We are trying, we are making the most of ourselves and, thanks to a new impulse, we will try to finish the season successfully.
— Is the company representing your interests, ProSport Management, headed by German Tkachenko, already looking for employment options for you for the next season?
— I have two more years of contract with Khimki. That's why I don't ask myself that question. All my thoughts are just about keeping my registration in the RPL with the team. I hope the whole situation will get better and everything will be fine.
— Khimki has been having financial problems for several years, while many players with experience in the RPL still go to this club. Why is this happening?
— In my opinion, such problems are still impossible to calculate in advance. For example, I joined Khimki not last summer, when the problems started, but before last season in 2023, when everything was stable at the club. And this financial issue didn't come up at all. What has happened now is largely a combination of circumstances, including those related to Tufan. I think his problems are the main reason. But in the future, perhaps someone will choose a club more carefully, because situations like Khimki are rare in modern football. I hope the situation will just get better and there won't be any such problems next season.
— Maybe the opportunity to play in the Premier League next to Moscow outweighs all possible problems?
— I suppose there is no question whether you are in Moscow or not. Football players don't think like that that they want to be closer to the capital, somewhere in the south in Sochi or somewhere else.
— Is the question not worth it for you because you were born and raised in the distant Omsk region?
— That's one of the reasons. When I moved from Torpedo to Khimki, first of all I made a decision based on communication with the then head coach Andrey Viktorovich Talalaev. I joined the team when I felt his interest in me as a player. And before Torpedo, I lived normally in Nizhny Novgorod when I played for Paris NN. The city is no worse than Moscow. Life was great there, so I definitely didn't go to Khimki because of the proximity to the capital. Moreover, clubs also do not take in just anyone — they build their selection based on whether a particular player suits them or not. And there is no such thing that, all other things being equal, I will go to Khimki, but for example, I will not go to Voronezh. I'll see how interested they are in me and what my playing prospects are there.
— How have you been affected by salary delays in your daily life? Did you have to take out loans, borrow money from someone, or did you have savings?
— I personally don't have such a problem — I have savings. Everything is tolerable for now. I hope the situation will be resolved positively soon and you and I won't even have to discuss it.
— Do you have a wife and children?
— There is a bride — the wedding is coming soon. There is enough money for her and for life in general.
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