The main sensation of the qualifying round of the Champions League struck in the capital of Hungary. «Ferencvaros», which was coached by the ex-coach of the Russian national team Stanislav Cherchesov, lost to the amateur club «Klaksvik» from the Faroe Islands. Already during the match, fans of the most popular Hungarian club demanded the resignation of the Russian specialist. He himself, despite the humiliating «0:3», was not going to leave. Only a few hours after the end of the match, the president of Ferencváros, Gabor Kubatov, announced the dismissal of Cherchesov.
The famous Russian coach Leonid Tkachenko once joked: «We have such a profession that when you arrive in a new city and accept a new team, you need to put your suitcase in the hallway and at any moment be ready to pick it up on the way to the station.» More precisely, you can’t say. Hungary is no different from Russia in this respect. Like any other country. One defeat can wipe out many years of service.
Moreover, for the past 12 years, the president of Ferencváros has been a member of the Hungarian parliament with a familiar name for the country, but an unusual surname. His father is from Azerbaijan. Although this is unlikely to explain the predilection of the leaders of «Fradi» (as the most popular Hungarian team is called by its fans) to coaches from the post-Soviet space. Before Cherchesov, Ferencváros was coached by Sergei Rebrov, who led the club to victory in the national championship three times.
Cherchesov began work in Budapest in December 2021. I took a short break after the unsuccessful performance of the Russian national team at Euro 2020 and the scandalous press conference on its results — and accepted a new challenge. Together with the head coach, his permanent assistants, Miroslav Romashchenko and Gintaras Stauche, as well as physical training coach Paulino Granero, doctor Eduard Tsgoev and massage therapist Vladimir Panyukov went to the banks of the Danube. Nevertheless, several local specialists found places in the coaching staff.
Cherchesov's contract, according to the Hungarian press, was designed for two and a half years. One and a half Stanislav Salamovich worked quite successfully. Ferencvaros continued their winning streak in the national championship. True, last year in the third round of the Champions League «Fradi», having passed before the Kazakh «Tobol» and the Slovak «Slovan», lost to the Azerbaijani «Karabakh». But he reached the 1/8 finals in the Europa League.
UEFA Champions LeagueJuly 19, 2023 • Start at 19:00End
FerencvárosHungary0 : 3
KI KlaksvikFaroe Islands
08’ • Orni Frederiksberg (P)32’ • Orni Frederiksberg (Deni Pavlovic)
45’ • Luc Kassi
Watch all goals
Cherchesov recalled this recent episode of his coaching career at a press conference after the defeat from Klaksvik. Of course, he was asked if he was going to resign. The Russian specialist was not going to. He considered his position in Budapest unshakable. It is worth paying attention to the appearance of ex-defender of Krasnodar Christian Ramirez this summer in Ferencvaros. As Hungarian journalists assure, at the suggestion of the now former coach of the country's champions.
It's just hard to imagine the head of the club, who in such a situation would leave the head coach at the helm. The transfer fee of the Ferencváros players is estimated by the Transfermarkt portal, which is aware of this issue, at 53.4 million euros, and Klaksvik at 2.68 million. For one Ramirez, the Hungarian champions paid two. More proof that soccer is played not by money, but by players.
After the defeat in the Champions League qualification, Ferencváros did not complete the European Cup campaign. The Hungarian team moved to the Conference League, but there it will be managed by Csaba Mate. One of the Hungarian specialists who worked in the Russian, for the most part, coaching staff.
Well, what about Cherchesov? In the summer, Stanislav Salamovich said that he had proposals from Saudi Arabia and Russia. He even hinted at a willingness to return to his native Spartak. As soon as the dismissal order was signed in Budapest, Cherchesov vied with each other in Sochi. Although the owner of the team, Boris Rotenberg, was not seen in sympathy for the former head coach of the Russian national team.
It can be said with confidence that Cherchesov will not be in Zenit. True, after the story with Mario Fernandez, one can lay the probability of tenths of a percent on such an option. The ex-head coach of Ferencváros is definitely not overweight. And after the match with the Faroese and the hasty dismissal, he definitely lost a few kilograms.