"CSKA's budget is comparable to the figures of Euroleague outsiders"
The year 2024 was an unusual one in the history of CSKA basketball. In mid-April, a week before the start of the VTB United League 2023/24 playoffs, the CSKA management decided to fire Emil Rajkovic. His place was taken by Dimitris Itoudis' former assistant Andreas Pistiolis, who was able to rebuild the team in a short period of time and bring the Belov Cup back to Moscow. In the summer, the Greek specialist got a reinforcement in the person of one of the Serbian national team leaders, Alex Avramovic, who has been living up to expectations so far. The results of the year of our top club were summarized in an interview with Sport-Express and Izvestia by Andrei Vatutin, the president of the Red-Blue team. We discussed a wide range of issues: from the possible integration of the NBA into European basketball to the unfinished construction of our home arena.
Our Greek coaches are proud to work for a VTB League club
- Congratulations on the upcoming New Year! What is your main memory of 2024?
- If we're talking about the professional side of things, it's undoubtedly the return of the championship title. Not even the trophy itself, but the process, the two months that we lived as one after the change of head coach before the playoffs. Of course, winning the cup was long-awaited and very valuable, but still not a unique event. The aforementioned reshuffle, on the other hand, was an element of shock therapy, an unusual move for CSKA. It's probably already forgotten, so let me remind you: we found ourselves in a situation where the title wasn't much on our minds - not everyone was sure the team could get past Enisey in the first round. Our fans at the first playoff game hung a banner "11 Steps to the Cup" on the stand, and we thought - wow, optimists! Once again I will thank our family, players, staff, coaching staff, office colleagues, sponsors for their support. We discussed this step a lot inside the club and made a decision together. Now we can even say - the only right one. Of course, a special thanks to our fans.
- The away defeat to Zenit in early December did not spoil the New Year mood?
- Nobody likes to lose, but we should find a positive in this result. As history has repeatedly proven, long winning streaks are bad for a team's mood. It's impossible to win all the games in a season, and you don't need to. We had 11 wins in a row, and I agree with Andreas Pistiolis, who said that we haven't played a single good game since the November break. At times like this, it feels like a lot of basketball players are looking for a margin of safety, that minimum level of effort that will still allow them to earn wins. And a loss to the main contender for the championship should shake up the team, I hope it will allow the coaching staff to clearly point out the productive mistakes and find new motivation. We keep faith in ourselves and are determined to improve the quality of play.
- The fact that you kept the core of the championship team this summer and added Alex Avramovic probably adds optimism in that sense.
- Yes, we can be happy with the core of the team, but as for the acquisitions, Avramovic is going through an adaptation period and the same game with Zenit can hardly be written down as an asset. At the same time, we shouldn't forget that in May-June we didn't take the title in class. We beat strong opponents due to order, effort, dedication, belief in ourselves and our partners. It is important for the team to show these qualities when necessary. I want to note that we are pleased with the changes not only in the squad and coaching staff, but also in the medical staff. We managed to attract a famous physiotherapist Dimitris Aftosmidis, to whom many famous European athletes come for rehabilitation in Greece, we have two young promising Russian medics - Timofei Gayev and Anatoly Prishlov, who are assisted by the experienced Anatoly Zolotov. All of them have become a very important part of the team, responsible for its vitality.
- Are you interested in playing only in the VTB League?
- You know, we recently talked about it with our Greek coaching staff. They are proud to work for a VTB League club. After all, in most of Europe's top national championships, only a couple of teams are real contenders for the title - the rest are just extras. We have four favorites in Russia. The other issue is that the distance between the "big" four and the rest is quite large, and I believe that is a distinctive feature of this season. So, to answer your question, yes, it is interesting. Even though we are forced into this situation.
And, by the way, we have not only the VTB League, but also the Superleague and juniors. Anton Yudin is doing a great job with the "double", the guys have already made significant progress, are among the leaders of the tournament, and are showing good play. We cheer for them with pleasure.
Our top clubs could qualify for the Euroleague playoffs or play-in games
- If we start from optimistic notes, would you like to join the European tournaments next summer, if there is such an opportunity? How would you see CSKA's prospects?
- Unfortunately, optimism alone is not enough. I don't like fiction, so I'm not ready to talk about how CSKA would look from a sporting standpoint. Based on what I saw in the first part of the Euroleague regular season, I think Russia's top clubs could qualify for the playoffs or play-in. That's despite the fact that CSKA's current budget is comparable to outsiders Alba (€15 million) and ASVEL (€16 million), who spend about €8 million on their roster, and a far cry from Real Madrid and Panathinaikos, who manage €45-50 million a year. I will be glad to be wrong, but I assume that in 2025 the financial situation of Russian clubs will not get better - all of them will have to face a decrease in budgets to varying degrees, and there are a lot of reasons for that, and there is no point in listing them again. Frankly speaking, if a return to the Euroleague was possible, it would be painful in many ways. However, I think it's better not to even have these conversations. Now the return is impossible politically and financially.
- Don't you see any political progress?
- At the level of private conversations, nothing more. Many Euroleague colleagues say they would like to see CSKA and other Russian clubs in the tournament. But you don't hear a word about it on the microphone from "the other side". At the same time, I think the position of Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev that it is necessary to stop the aggressive rhetoric and look for solutions that will allow Russia to return to international sport is very constructive. But again, I haven't heard any feedback yet. We will wait, I have always said that sport and culture are the first areas through which contacts will be made. But today there are still few positive signals, among the more or less noticeable ones is the recent admission of Russian swimmers in neutral status to the World Short Course Championships. Despite all the difficulties and almost three years of missing international starts, our guys are performing brilliantly. They won six gold medals and set a world record in the relay.
- Do you expect a long isolation?
- We have to look at the big picture, so I'll go beyond basketball. It is very likely that years, and possibly decades, of military and political confrontation between Russia and the West await us. Whether in these conditions we will find at least some options for sports ties is a big question. During the Cold War period, with the exception of two mirror-image Olympics in 1980 and 1984, sports contacts were fully preserved. During the Soviet years, despite the confrontation between the two empires, competitions were held in full, even if they were extremely ideologized. Sports successes demonstrated the superiority of the political-economic system and way of life. At one time, the break between the performances of our team at the Olympics amounted to a very serious period of time. In Stockholm in 1912 the Russian Empire competed for the last time, but the next time the USSR team went to the Olympics 40 years later, in Helsinki in 1952. Of course, it was a different time: revolution, Civil War, then long years of reconstruction, then war again. Some kind of détente was the visit of Soviet soccer players to England in 1945, but a full-fledged return had to wait another seven years. History in general is cyclical, and a time of détente is bound to come, but what it will all look like in reality, I can't say.
It's unlikely that the NBA can create any kind of full-fledged competition in Europe right now
- At the same time the club continues to participate in the organizational work of the Euroleague...
- We fulfill our obligations, we continue to prove that we are interested in the future of European club basketball, we are not indifferent to the fate of the tournament, even if we don't participate in it now. It should be said that there are many issues in the Euroleague that need to be resolved. The league development project is full of different ideas, but it is still in the process of discussion, even disputes and internal contradictions, and it is not easy to choose whose vision will be correct. Plus there is a lot being written now about the fact that the NBA's European plans could hinder, destroy the existing structure of continental tournaments. I should note, although the possibility of the NBA "landing" in Europe exists in theory, but according to the current situation, I don't see how the Americans right now can create any full-fledged competition in Europe. In the format of a short-term tournament, some kind of cup, participation of some of the most branded Euroleague teams - it is quite possible. But to create an analog of the Euroleague is not yet on the horizon. My assessment is based on the fact that there are too many unresolved problems in Europe regarding the relationship between Euroleague and FIBA, difficulties with the intersection of the calendars of clubs and national teams, local and international leagues, different tax systems, etc. But the very option of cooperation with the NBA cannot but be attractive. It's a matter of format and hierarchy. However, there were no substantive statements from the NBA on this topic.
- Do you follow the Euroleague games?
- I watch them regularly. This season is interesting. First of all, I (and I'm sure all the fans) was surprised by Paris, which seems to have cracked the code of modern basketball and made it to the top without having a single top player. I believe Paris leader T.J. Shorts has every reason to expect a contract at the level of the Euroleague's top players next summer. Second, it's a little strange to see Real Madrid so low in the standings - the departure of Poirier, Rodriguez and Fernandez has not yet been fully compensated for. Thirdly, I would note the invitation of Vassilis Spanoulis to the post of head coach of Monaco. This is a very curious move. Two bright personalities have come together on the same team, and Billy can't help but be an authority for Mike James. You can already see it in the game. When Spanoulis was named, congratulated him personally, I'll be watching with pleasure. Also very happy for Manuchar Markoishvili, who played one game in transition as head coach and got a win. After all, it was the first ever success of a head coach from Georgia in the Euroleague. All in all, the most interesting things are ahead, the fact that many of the favorites are still tumbling so far only adds to the Euroleague's unpredictability and interest.
- Which former foreign players do you communicate with?
- Almost all of them. Last week I congratulated Matjaz Smodis on his 45th birthday. Recently, for example, Kyle Hines, who, as you know, has joined the Brooklyn coaching staff, wrote to me. He said that he really wants to come to Moscow, he's waiting for the nearest opportunity. I can say the same about Chacho Rodriguez. In general, we want to invite our star veterans to CSKA games. Unfortunately, it's just not always politically possible.
We are looking for a way to save the arena construction project
- What is the situation with the construction of the new CSKA USC, which is suspended at the moment?
- I can't tell you anything good, the situation, as they say nowadays, is noticeably "shifted to the left". The Ministry of Defense, for obvious reasons, is not ready to engage in this construction. Together with Nornickel, we are looking for a way to save the project. It must be either urgently restarted or professionally mothballed. There is a fear that if the unfinished facility remains in such a state through the winter, it will be easier to demolish it later. The building is no more than 30% complete, snow, water and wind will turn the exposed reinforced concrete structures into a non-functional state.
- There's not much positive in what you're saying.
- The year will not be easy for everyone, but I'm sure it's better to be prepared for difficulties, understand them and try to cope or minimize the consequences. We will work and look for solutions. The most important thing is to keep interest in Russian basketball and the United League. So Happy New Year to everyone and see you in the stands!
