"The feeling that I haven't finished what I started will remain forever"

Valery Karpin's departure from Dynamo is one of the most high—profile events in November in our football. A week later, correspondents from Izvestia and Sport-Express visited the head coach of the Russian national team at the RFU and recorded a detailed interview about what had happened in the last six months and how it had affected the future of the national team, Dynamo and, of course, Karpin himself.

"Simonyan's main advice: 'Take care of yourself and your nerves'

— Valery Georgievich, we are communicating in your office at the RFU, which is now the only place of work. What time did you get here today?

—About ten o'clock."

— Do you have a strict schedule or do you determine the beginning of the working day yourself?

— All coaches have irregular schedules: there is no eight-hour working day. On weekends, when all people are resting, we don't switch off. Therefore, no one sets strict limits.

— If you don't take days off, how often are you in the office?

— Every day.

— What does your typical day at the RFU look like? For example, what did you do yesterday?

— I came to the office, talked with my assistants about how the tour went, and discussed the matches. After all, we follow the games not only from the point of view of viewing potential candidates [for the national team], but we discuss everything from the results to the refereeing.

— Is this similar to how football is discussed by experts in studios?

— In different ways. After all, there is a more professional part. For example, when the data of football players from RUSTAT arrives, we discuss the condition of the players.

— Nikita Pavlovich Simonyan's office next door... did you often cross paths with him?

— We saw each other just the other day... the door of his office was often open — Nikita Pavlovich always worked there. I went to say hello to him, to exchange some phrases about the matches.

— Did he advise you on the players?

— Not according to the players. His most important advice: "Take care of yourself and your nerves."

— Is it working?

— Not always.

— Nikita Pavlovich is unique: he came to the office at the age of 99, and what a clarity of mind!

— It really caused admiration and delight. May God grant me to be in this condition in 20 years.

— Would you like to live to that age?

— Just like Nikita Pavlovich, yes.

The red and White man: who is grateful to Nikita Simonyan and for what

When he appeared in the House of Football, it was possible to check Swiss watches.

"Before leaving Dynamo, I had a conversation with Solovyov."

— You left Dynamo more than a week ago. Did you manage to exhale?

— Of course, it has become much easier. But it's impossible to say that I've already fully exhaled and recovered both psychologically and physically.

— Is there still a feeling of "understatement"?

— One hundred percent. The feeling that you haven't finished what you started is there and will remain, perhaps forever. But to say that there are some strong feelings about it.… They were there when I made the decision.

— Is this your decision?

- yes.

— How did it come?

— And how does he usually come? Whether you're sitting or lying down, you're thinking, you're communicating with someone. And this process is underway. The thought arose after the match with Akron (1-2) before the November games of the national team. But I had to concentrate [on the national team], so I didn't think about it during the training camp. We can say that he left it for a later time. And I returned to the question after the match with Chile.

— At what point did you come to a final decision? Maybe there was some kind of conversation?

— There is no specific one. You can listen to opinions, take note of someone's thoughts, but no one will make a decision for you, no one will get into your head.

— From the outside, it seems that you just realized that things are not going well at Dynamo, and now the national team has lost. Are we right?

- no. Generally wrong. As I said, thoughts [about leaving Dynamo]] appeared before the start of the training camp, after the match with Akron. And they didn't depend on the results of the games against Peru or Chile.

— But looking at you at that time, there was a feeling that you were not mentally with the national team.

— I don't know where you get that feeling from. He was completely immersed in his work. And all the decisions [on Dynamo] were accepted after the match against Chile.

— According to Timur Gurtskaya, you recently had a meeting with the management of Dynamo, and you asked to strengthen not only the staff, but also the staff. It's true?

- no. I was in the national team: first in St. Petersburg, and then in Sochi. There were no meetings after Chile either, just a telephone conversation with Yuri Alekseevich Solovyov (one of Dynamo's key supervisors. — Ed.). Everything.

— They wrote that you refused the penalty. Or did you not claim anything because you left on your own?

— You said it yourself. If I leave on my own, what kind of penalty are we talking about? I could rather have been prescribed that in this case I owe something. They won't pay you if you leave Sport Express, will they? This is nonsense.

— After Dynamo's victory over Makhachkala, Dmitry Gafin posted a photo with Rolan Gusev and the caption "CHTD".

— What's the message?

— Perhaps it's because he was initially against your appointment to Dynamo. Have you had any disagreements in your work?

- no. As far as I know, he wanted me to come to Dynamo.

"I've been sleeping worse in the last month"

— Is it possible to say that you overestimated your strength by leading Dynamo?

— Maybe, yes.

— Is the question of alignment finally closed now?

— At the moment, yes. But now I'm going to say yes or no, and then something will change, and you'll all remember those words. Everything in life changes. I also thought when I left Rostov that I would never combine in my life. But in the end, I decided to combine them.

Is this a mistake? Maybe. All people make mistakes. Things happen. Only those who do nothing are not mistaken. If I hadn't done anything, I wouldn't have been wrong. I probably overestimated my strength. To be honest, I thought it would be easier, based on my experience at Rostov. Because, apart from the logistical difficulties, everything was built there from beginning to end. There are no problems with logistics in Moscow, but it was necessary to build all the processes and devote more time to them.

— What processes are you talking about?

— About all of them. Starting from breakfast and ending at bedtime.

— When you came to Novogorsk earlier, it seemed that you were different from working at Dynamo. It's like there's more pressure and negativity around you. Did you feel it?

"I'm not." I don't really understand what you're talking about.

— Rostov's problems are different from Dynamo's, they receive less attention.

— If you mean the public, then yes.

— But do you understand that Dynamo should be much higher in the table than Rostov?

- yes. But when Rostov was conditionally in 14th place, it should also have been higher. Outside the national team, it is clear that there is more attention and talk about Dynamo than about the Rostov club, but this had nothing to do with the national team. It seemed like this to me from the inside. Although you might know better from the outside.

— Did you feel that you were starting to burn out by combining two big and important jobs?

— I don't really understand the word "burn out", so it's hard for me to say.

— There is an example of Jurgen Klopp, who is so tired that he has not been coaching for several years. Have you had similar thoughts?

- no. There was definitely no such burnout. Fatigue naturally accumulated, especially when there was no result. For example, I've been sleeping worse in the last month. It affects my health, especially at my age. Sleeping for four or five hours is too much. This was one of the factors behind the decision to leave Dynamo. I still have small children. They need to be raised and educated.

— Do you understand where your upper threshold of fatigue is, after which you decide that you don't want to train anymore?

— There is no such thing yet.

"How far is it?"

"What do you mean, far away?" Is six months far away?

— At the present time, yes.

—Exactly. Far away, then. And three years is even more so. That's why I don't understand now what's close and what's far away. I won't stop training tomorrow.

— How are you planning to relax?

— With my family.

— Will you fly to the training camp in January?

- yes. There are plans to meet with our players playing abroad. Maybe at this time. Let's see if the tournament will take place in Abu Dhabi. But even if not, I will attend the friendly matches of the teams.

"I don't want a plane or a mansion, but I do want to live in peace."

— In one of the interviews you said: most people choose money, and I am the same. Have you already provided for yourself?

— Money is never superfluous. What do you mean, provided? Everything is fine now, but tomorrow there will be a conditional crisis.

— Surely you have assets that provide some kind of reliability.

— Exactly, that's something. I don't have a billion.

— You said a few years ago that you don't have 10 million euros. Is there now?

"Not anymore."

— Is there something you dream about, but you can't pull it off yet?

— There is no such thing. I don't want a plane, I don't want a mansion.

"What do you want?"

— Live in peace.

— Your quote: "I haven't been to the store for I don't know how many years. Groceries, things — everything is delivered, my wife orders." Are you really unfamiliar with food prices or are you lying?

— I went to the grocery store recently because the kids wanted ice cream. But there is no such thing that I closely monitor the prices. I use deliveries much more often than I go to the store.

— When was the last time you went down to the subway?

— Not so long ago, probably three weeks ago. There were traffic jams, I was late for a meeting, I took the subway.

— How do you look at money now?

— This is a way to ensure a comfortable life.

— Trophies don't particularly attract you, you take money in stride. Are you in football because you love this sport?

— I'm in football because I love football, which also makes money. If they didn't pay, it would be a hobby. But I would do it.

— Has your attitude towards money changed over the years?

"I don't think so. I've never made any stupid purchases. The only thing is, at the age of 30 I bought myself a sports Jaguar, although the club gave me a car. You didn't have to buy it. I rode for one or two years and sold it.

Is this the only purchase you regret?

— It happens that you buy something, and then you think: why do I need it? But calling it regret is probably too much.

— We know vivid stories from the 90s, when Mostovoy and Shalimov could go to discos. And you?

— It also happened after the games, yes, but not until six in the morning. They followed the regime anyway.

The third approach: why Karpin decided to focus on the national team again

The head coach of the national team left Dynamo and referred to preparations for his return to the international arena.

"I borrowed five thousand euros, but they never returned it"

— You had a business in Spain. What for?

— I had to think about what to do after I finish my playing career. I didn't plan on working in football. Then I got tired of him.

— Did your return happen because you took a break from football or didn't work out in business?

— Because they called. There was a specific offer to return to football. If I hadn't been invited, I wouldn't have returned.

— They say that in Spain you could not come to an agreement with the officials, you overestimated your strength. Is that true?

— You can put it this way, yes. We purchased the land, we thought that within five to six years we would agree on obtaining a construction license. It's been 20 years… And only a year ago, permission was granted for this land. But not to us anymore.

— Is there a desire to try something like this in Russia?

"Not anymore.

— A common problem of athletes is that they don't know how to manage money. 65% of former NBA players become bankrupt five years after their careers end. Aren't athletes taught how to handle money?

— And who should teach? Often, relatives make it so that the player is left without money. I know such examples. For example, where does a football player study?

— Can you, for example, approach the conditional Prutsev yourself and give him some advice?

— I can. He'll say to me, "Yes, it's fine, Valery Georgievich." Then another person will come up to him and convince him. This is a normal occurrence. Unfortunately, people usually learn from their own mistakes, not from others.

Have you ever been betrayed?

— Betrayal from a person who can be expected is not betrayal. And those you don't expect from me probably didn't betray me. Were they being dumped? It happened that they asked for a loan of 100 thousand rubles, but they did not give it back.

— No desire to remind you about the debts?

— You remind me. One word, two, three. And the man was gone.

— What is the largest amount that has not been refunded to you?

— Five thousand euros. It's a pity, of course. So what?

"A man was born, owed a woman, died"

— You often say that you miss your family, children, and spouse. Let's put it in one word: for you, a wife is...

— Support.

— What do you remember when you think about Daria?

— This is the person with whom I share absolutely everything.

— Daria, like you, is a media person. After filming, working, and talking, you always want to shut yourself in. How does it happen at home?

— On the contrary, we want to discuss something between the two of us.

— Have you realized for yourself what the principles of a relationship should be?

— It's not my first marriage. If I say something now, they'll write to me.: "What are you telling me? I have a third marriage myself." But in general, it should be your person in terms of mentality, perception of things, and attitude to what is happening. There must be a sense of humor, and it is impossible without intelligence. It is important that we treat many things equally and look in the same direction.

— There are probably some conflicts. How to extinguish?

— My principle is that if you are not satisfied with something, you don't like it, you need to say it right away.

— Does a man always apologize first?

— If the spouse messed up, she apologizes. They say that a man should apologize first, it sounds nice. But this is not the case in life, there are a million nuances. I'm exaggerating now: if your wife cheats, will you go apologize?

— It would be strange, but there is a logic: I brought it to this myself.

— Here! They'll also make you guilty: you don't take the time. This dialogue can lead to anything. But that's not to say that a man is always the first to apologize.

— In an ideal relationship, what should a man do and what should a woman do?

— If you got married, you already have to. Just like a woman, if she got married. If you think there are no obligations in marriage, why get married? We need to negotiate everything. For example, if you want to go to the sauna with friends after work, you need to make an agreement if you get married. Otherwise it will be wrong.

— There is an opinion that a man should do everything.

"It's always been that way. As the saying goes: a man was born, owed a woman, died. But you don't have to marry the one you owe all the time.

"I won't go against my principles"

— Arshavin says that Russian football has been "pinched for the last five or six years." Is there such a feeling?

— What do you mean, "pinched"?

— A proposal for a new hard limit on foreign players until the beer is returned to the stadiums. That is, there is a close attention to football.

— It is there. What does this mean? The main sport in the country.

— But, for example, there is no fan card on hockey.

— So it's not the main sport.

— You were responding sharply to the Minister of Sports. Aren't you afraid of the consequences?

— There was no harshness on my part towards the minister. I answered questions from journalists and expressed my opinion. What should be the consequences?

— You will fall into disgrace. As the minister says, he may not approve your candidacy.

— If it would be necessary for me to lie in order to coordinate my candidacy, then I would hardly need such coordination.

— You won't go against your principles?

"I'm not going."