"The whole country shouted that Sobolev is not a football player, now he scores and gives away"

Pavel Mamaev, a former football player of Krasnodar and the Russian national team, shared his thoughts on the standings of Spartak and Dynamo in the current RPL season and the possibility of creating his own club in an interview with Izvestia. He also spoke about the work of the Dubai Football Academy, which he opened together with Fyodor Smolov in February 2023.

"Any coach admits his resignation"

— How do you like the situation in the championship?

— It's too early to talk about anything, few rounds have been played yet.

— Krasnodar, for example, is going well again.

— And who is bad?

— Spartak is not showing the best result.

— There will be a round or two, and they will have two points from the first place. Chickens are counted in the fall. Someone has a bad beginning, and someone has an end. Last year, everyone admired Spartak in the fall, but what happened in the spring? It's better for everyone to be excited throughout the championship.

— What do you think about Karpin's statement about a possible resignation after the match in Makhachkala?

— I think any coach can resign. This is a logical response from a sane person. We saw the example of Ivich, who was eliminated when Krasnodar was in second place, one point from the first.

— But Dynamo is not shining with results yet.

— As with Spartak, there will be a couple more rounds, and, for example, they will be in the top three. Don't jump to conclusions. The whole country shouted about Sobolev last year that he was not a football player. Now he's scoring and giving away. And now no one says anything.

"Increased thanks to Karpin's trust"

Dynamo Moscow football player Denis Makarov — about returning to the main squad, the departure of the head coach to the national team and goals for the season

"All thoughts are related to sports"

— A couple of years ago, you said that you live in two cities — Moscow and Dubai. How is it now?

— Nothing has changed. Although we've been living in Moscow for a year now. Thank God, the academy has been working as planned all this time. Like a Swiss watch. Everyone knows everything, the tasks are set. We are already just flying in as the owners of the academy for some events or to work with documentation. The rest is done remotely — sums, discussions. But the first year and a half was very difficult, it was necessary to organize everything, I couldn't leave the Emirates at all. Now is the time to mind your own business.

— A year ago, you had 150 children training.

— There are more now, because we already have three branches.

— Is there anything else in the plans besides the academy? Maybe even outside of sports?

— There are many projects, and even more children. I want to give them time first, and then start other projects. But all our thoughts are related to sports, which is a more understandable area for us. There is no desire to open restaurants, hotels or anything like that.

Time first: group winners can be determined in the Russian Cup

In the fourth round, Zenit will host Akhmat, Krasnodar will go to Samara, Spartak will play Rostov

— Is the academy a business or an outlet?

— It's more like two in one. In general, we do not perceive it as a business. First of all, as a good deed, through which we can participate in the development of children. I think this is a very, very important point. Yes, we earn money, but this is not an end in itself. It is important that the project is not in stagnation or degradation, but we are constantly making steps forward, opening branches.

— Would you like to create your own club in Russia? Following the example of Sergei Galitsky, who was played in Krasnodar.

— Of course, it would be a cool story. Now we can judge something by the example of our academy.… There is also an adult team of our brand in Dubai, which competes in the amateur league. By the way, it is quite a serious level. The Irish, the British, the Spaniards, and the Italians play their own teams there.

Former players of the English Premier League, Serie A, La Liga participate. Of course, I would like to get to the RPL sometime. How can I say no?

It would be cool, but how realistic is it to implement... The question is very complicated.

— But you still have a lot of time ahead of you.

— God forbid, something will work out. So far, we have to combine a lot: work, education, and family. I've been playing professional football for a long time in my life, and now I'm improving my knowledge and learning.

— After the statement of the Minister of Sports Mikhail Degtyarev, many people are now discussing books. Which ones would you recommend to the students of your academy?

— I really like to read religious literature, but this is a delicate issue — different faiths, different views of families. Therefore, the classics, I think, will never die. Turgenev, Dostoevsky can be safely recommended. I've read all Turgenev's novels, they're very interesting. But, you know, that's what parents should be doing. As for football players specifically, it's true to say that someone likes to read, while the other one hasn't opened a single book, but he still plays great.