Igor Cherevchenko / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Vitaly Timkiv
Istiklol head coach Igor Cherevchenko told RB Sport that he does not consider his work in the Tajik club a step back for himself.
In January, Cherevchenko was appointed head coach of Istiklol. The contract between the parties is for one year.
— Why did you choose Istiklol?
– I have good relations in Tajikistan with the local football federation and with the leadership of Istiklol. Plus, the team participates in the Asian Champions League, which is also an interesting challenge.
Do you consider this a step backwards for yourself?
No, I don’t think so for myself.
— How are you doing now?
– Everything is fine, just arrived from the training camp. They did everything to be planned. Getting ready for the season.
– How do you like Istiklol?
– A normal club, good players, fulfill all the requirements of the coaching staff. Everything is fine.
– Is the level of football comparable to the Russian championship?
– It’s too early to judge. We only had friendly games. Plus, it’s only been three weeks since the team got together, we had players on trial. Therefore, it is too early to draw conclusions.
– Now there is a lot of talk about the possible transition of Russian football to Asia. Do you think there is a good level of football there?
– It’s hard to judge. Now you can only watch the game between Zenit and Iranian Sepahan. Plus, at the training camp, Russian teams played with Asian ones – it was not easy. Ahead of the match between the national teams of Russia and Iran. Let’s see how they play, it’s an interesting meeting.
Cherevchenko previously headed only clubs from Russia, he was the head coach at Lokomotiv, Khimki and Tula Arsenal
On March 3, the WORLD RPL draw will continue. Watch live broadcasts of RPL and FONBET matches of the Russian Cup on the Match TV federal channel and the thematic channels of the holding, as well as on matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites.
