"We owe the fans a lot — we're starting to repay our debts"

The season in Russian football ended with the victory of Spartak Moscow in the Russian Cup. In the Superfinal of the tournament on May 24, the red and white faced Krasnodar: the main time ended in a draw (1:1), and the capital team was stronger in the penalty shootout - 4:3. This trophy was the first for the club under the current leadership: General Director Sergei Nekrasov, sports director Francis Cahigao and head coach Carlos Carcedo. In an interview with Izvestia, Nekrasov summed up the season, spoke about the role of Serbian defender Srdjan Babic in the locker room and stressed that Spartak intends to fight for gold in the next championship.

— What are the emotions of winning the first trophy in your football career?

— You know, the answer is this: it doesn't matter what title I have. The most important thing is the club. The club has had one championship for many years, one Cup for many years. And now there is a second Cup. This is the first trophy for almost all of our players, and for the current head coach and athletic director, this is the first title with Spartak. Yes, we have guys in the team who won the Russian Cup in 2022, but this is a novelty for most now. And we need to talk about them. I am very glad that they have achieved this achievement.

— During the 18 years when Leonid Fedun was the owner of Spartak, the club won one Russian championship and one Russian Cup. One of these two achievements has already been repeated in four years, when Lukoil is the owner. Is there satisfaction that the comparison is already ambiguous in favor of the past era?

— I will not speak for the entire management, but I will speak for myself: it was very important to make sure that the right choice of head coach was made, that the changes on the coaching bridge were generally correct. We were convinced of this at the winter training camp. Then there were not very successful matches. There were even some very unsuccessful ones. Nevertheless, we were moving steadily. That's probably the most important thing. And, as Carcedo correctly said in his motivational speech on the day of the Superfinal, and as Srdjan Babic also said, this is only the first step. It was said before the victory over Krasnodar, but even now, after winning the Cup, everyone understands that this is only the first step. And there are new goals ahead. We owe the fans a lot, and we're starting to repay our debts.

The Anointed King: how the goalkeeper brought Spartak victory in the Cup

The goalkeeper of the red and white again came out before the penalty shootout and won it.

— Speaking of motivational speeches, you mentioned Babic next to Carcedo. Does he have a special role in the locker room right now?

— Yes, every time there are new motivational speeches, it's very cool. In addition to the head coach and team captain Roman Zobnin, Srdjan has also been speaking in the last three matches. He speaks very well. Unfortunately, he is unable to play due to injury. But he does a very important job in the locker room, of which he was the leader and the soul.

— Is it possible to fight for the championship next season with this squad?

— Let's just say it's a base, it's a platform. Of course, it is necessary to strengthen. And the final game of the Russian Cup against Krasnodar showed us enough where we need to improve. We will work in this direction and, of course, we will fight for the championship.

— Which lines of reinforcement will there be?

— I do not want to intrude into the area of responsibility of the sports director, so I will refrain from commenting on this topic. But it won't be a massive gain.

— What rating would you give Spartak over the past season, given that they were left without championship medals?

— Four plus on a five-point scale. I can't put a top five, because we ended up without medals at the championship, although we really wanted to take bronze and could have done it in the last round. But winning the Cup gives us a reason to evaluate the season positively. And most importantly, there is an understanding of where to move on. Yes, we've had some good matches this season and some not so good ones. But we know what we need to improve and what we need to work on. And I am sure that with this coaching staff and players we will move to new heights.

— In the last four years, when Leonid Fedun ceased to be the owner of Spartak, his wife Zarema Salikhova, who actually led the club for several years, often made frivolous and derogatory comments on the work of the new managers as soon as any failures occurred. Some loyal journalists and bloggers constantly made comparisons, proving that everything was much better before 2022. Do you have a feeling that this Cup victory has proved something to all of them?

— I definitely don't! (He smiles.)