When you think about it, it's amazing how some essentially sports-related businessmen use football brands for their very dubious promotion.
A well-known journalist, author of books about football, Aleksey Matveev, especially for the telegram channel of the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info, lifts the veil of almost underground activities invisible to the eye of the fan.
IN "RAZGULYAYE" WITH ROMANTSEV
Today Andrey Chervichenko works as an expert on various sports portals. Expertise, to put it mildly, is of poor quality, almost invariably with a poorly concealed resentment against the club he once headed.
Andrei Vladimirovich does not understand football intricacies, although, probably, he should understand, after all, he considers himself an “expert”. He willingly gives interviews on the topic of the game, apparently not suspecting in what unfavorable light he exposes himself. Attempts to comprehend what is happening in big Russian football often look ridiculous.
In order to find out more about Chervichenko himself, I found his countryman. My source asked not to give his name, surname, vouching for the accuracy of the information presented.
So, Andryusha's talent, as a Rostov acquaintance put it, was visible since childhood. Economist Alexander Shchenkov, a member of the Chervichenko family, invariably used to say: what a capable child, he will go far! The famous scientist was not at all mistaken in his assumptions, speaking highly of the boy's intellectual abilities, although Chervichenko never studied under his guidance.
Nevertheless, Alexander Sergeevich immediately saw that Andryusha could achieve significant success in the economic sphere. This hypothesis was also confirmed by the very good study of the Rostov youth at Moscow State University, however, he chose a faculty that was somewhat strange for himself - historical. "Kind tongues" claimed that he even had a career as a scientist. But you can't escape fate. The dashing 90s returned Andrey Chervichenko to his native element - entrepreneurship.
- Andrey was brought into the business related to gas and oil by close people, - said my interlocutor. - A relative of Chervichenko's wife held a high position in the fuel and energy complex. He contributed to the introduction of her husband to the "pipe". At the same time, it all started with small companies, whose activities were associated, first of all, with Chervichenko's native Rostov. In the mid-90s, Andrei Vladimirovich became the commercial director of one of the divisions of LUKOIL. There, connections began to be developed, which eventually made it possible to settle in Spartak.
In LUKOIL, the acumen of a young specialist was appreciated quite quickly. Only Chervichenko did not want to become a simple employee. I decided to develop my own business, being under the wing of a well-known company - Andrey Vladimirovich constantly flaunted closeness with Lukoilovites. Gained fame in financial circles, understood the issues of real estate, energy, banking.
But, of course, Mr. Chervichenko had nothing to do with football. Looking ahead, this was the root of the failures of the "people's" team under his leadership.
How did the “money bag” end up at the helm of Spartak? The casket is very easy to open. Chervichenko was “registered” for a new place of work in the infamous Razgulay restaurant in the capital. In a favorite place for meetings and recreation of the former leaders of Spartak, led by Romantsev (he spoke in detail about the criminal showdowns of the times of the “legendary” coach and president of the red-and-white club of the Cheka-OGPU). Over a glass of “hot” questions crucial for the famous team were discussed, “historic” decisions were made.
- In "Razgulay" they drank and ate a great team, - my Rostov acquaintance bitterly stated. The then leadership of the capital's club, headed by the aforementioned Romantsev, was first introduced to Alexander Shikunov, and six months later, Andrei Chervichenko. The mediator in the negotiations was Oleg Ivanovich’s assistant, also the notorious Yuri Zavarzin ...
At a dinner party (or dinner), it was announced that with the arrival of Shikunov and Chervichenko, the problems in forming the club budget would be removed, and a competent and large-scale transfer policy would begin to be implemented. That will allow them to start building their own stadium, reviving a children's and youth school, and so on. But nothing like that happened even close. Why?
- The reason is banal, - explained the expert, who knows Chervichenko firsthand. - As a businessman, Andrei may not be bad, but he doesn't understand purely football issues, the intricacies of the transfer market, and the qualifications of players. Hence the many troubles.
"SUITCASE, STATION, ROSTOV!"
However, this is not so much the case. You can not understand the intricacies of the game, the level of players - that is, there are assistants in the club who are responsible for such issues.
We managed to get papers shedding light on the activities of the newly-minted president of the most popular team in Russia. From their text it is easy to understand that Andrei Vladimirovich "Spartak", as such, did not care at all. Or on a case by case basis.
Basically, it was read primitive, even stupid oh self-promotion. How, he led Spartak himself! Prestigious, catchy. And in personal business affairs, a loud poster probably helped. In the West, by the way, this is a common practice. True, there, unlike the home-grown nouveau riche, they take such projects seriously and for a long time. If only because, in order not to fall under the “skating rink” of angry fans, fans, tiffosi, who are violently reacting to problems that arise in the team. Personal image may suffer. Metamorphoses, in turn, will affect the future, including personal life. Serious businessmen consider the risks associated with the world of big sport.
In the correspondence, which I will soon cite, Chervichenko's undeniable talent in real estate matters, for example, shows through. But what does this have to do with football itself, above all, with the team that Andrei Vladimirovich voluntarily undertook to patronize? Yes, practically none.
Under Romantsev, in the last years of his reign, the team was losing ground, and even four (!) Criminal cases initiated against Spartak managers did not contribute to development. With him, however, to be completely objective, the Spartacists won the titles of national champions, performed well on the European arena, showing their “teeth” to the grandees.
Under the leadership of Chervichenko, with football mentors, whom he changed like gloves worn from time to time, Spartak completely lost its leading position. The selection surprised specialists, experts, journalists, both in scope (dozens of players passed through the composition of the popular team) and in level (there were practically no players with a name in the club).
In order to somehow justify himself in the eyes of the fans, Andrey Chervichenko unusually often gives interviews. It is recognized that the club cannot compete in terms of funding with the then Lokomotiv, CSKA.
“I invest my own money in the team, but still we barely make ends meet,” - this is the leitmotif of those statements of Andrei Vladimirovich. Representatives of the general sponsor of the "red-whites" from the company "LUKOIL" meanwhile announced the full fulfillment of contractual obligations to the club. And on the sidelines it was rumored that the annual contributions of the oilmen to the Spartacists are much more than 3-4 million dollars, prescribed in official papers.
Informed sources increased the announced amount by three to four times. Spartak, it's no secret, received other sponsorship funds, as a result, about 20-25 million came out per season. Just the level of the same Lokomotiv with CSKA. Mr. Chervichenko, however, complained about the acute shortage of funds. And the fans at that time believe him, nodding their heads disapprovingly towards the competitors who have turned another high-profile deal.
The question is, why did Chervichenko take Spartak, in his own words, an unbearable burden for himself? Still, not a provincial team, but a club beloved by millions. I did not calculate the possibilities, overestimated myself, my pride stuck, I really wanted glory? Glory is also different, for example, bad. After a while, fans began to come to the stands with pejorative posters addressed to Andrei Vladimirovich: “Suitcase, station, Rostov!”. It is clear that they drove an unloved, random person from the camp of the native team. Basically fair.
Alexey Matveev
To be continued
Source: www.rucriminal.info
