The club needs a clear vertical of power.
Fedun is gone, another king is needed
“Spartak” sank many times, was pulled out of the water many times. Fedun has not created a governance structure to be proud of. The club is not behind a stone wall of strong coaches, even though there was a board of directors. Previously, it seems that they held him to look away from Leonid Arnoldovich. This council poorly coped with its function, since all arrows flew at Fedun.
Then came Zarema Salikhova, unnerving Ovchinnikov and thousands of other men in Russian football. The “housewife” influenced the adoption of a number of useful decisions, which is a paradox. And the men who ran Spartak most often hurt him. How many league titles does an oil company club have? One in twenty years. And there are fewer Akinfeev cups.
Trying to find someone to clean up the mess doesn’t seem crazy. Changes were inevitable. And Malysheva is called the favorite to replace Melezhikov. He and Yusuf Alekperov (the son of the former co-owner) were represented as “independent directors”. It was clear that Alexander Matytsyn, the chairman of the board, was unlikely to keep Melezhikov as general director for a long time.
In Spartak they are afraid of the word “president”, they can designate a new position differently. Perhaps one director will be replaced by another. But it is obvious that in the name of progress the candidate must be a professional. That’s just the favorite called a person who has little experience in managing a large club.
Malyshev is a new man in football
Considering that Melezhikov was the head of the security service for a long time, and among the previous managers of the Fedun era there were enough random people, from drivers to translators, Malyshev’s biography is unlikely to carry more weight than his professionalism. The presidential candidate was linked to City Football Group. He recalls how the owners of Manchester City wanted to buy Spartak shares.
Could Malyshev be an intermediary in that story? But now the winners of the Champions League will not enter RPL. Old things don’t count. It is a bit strange that there is little information about Malyshev. They say he’s a partner in the Technology of Trust company. A very strange name. The explanation is simple: the world-renowned accounting firm PwC rebranded its Russian office a year ago.
It appears that Malyshev provided auditing and consulting services. Information about Manchester City fits, because the company may be looking for negotiators in Moscow through large companies. It is surprising that Malyshev, who is not a representative of Lukoil – on the board of directors of the company Khavkin, Zhdanov and Maslyaev suddenly appeared among the main leaders and could become a boss.
By the way, Malyshev definitely doesn’t need to be introduced to Nail Izmailov. They crossed paths in a sports management class where the presidential candidate was an instructor. To be honest, it’s not the best company. But there are few coaches in Russian football. Nail Izmailov himself now manages FNL extension.
Andreev succeeded in Samara
The second candidate is Vadim Andreev. His father coached the Latvian national team. The father’s profession led his son to football. And dad’s money allowed 35-year-old Vadim Yurievich to get a good education. The player’s career did not work out, but he graduated from a university in England with a degree in football business and stadium management. Then he tried himself as a scout at the Spartak school.
He worked a little, found a place in his specialty, managed the Kazan Arena. Judging by the fact that the stadium was empty even in the best moments for Rubin, Vadim Andreev is not strong in marketing. Although this did not stop him from becoming the director general of the Wings of the Soviets. Osinkin and the guys from Chertanovo took eighth place in 2022. And Prutsev and Zinkovsky went to Spartak.
Andreev sent Glushenkov and Pinyaev to Lokomotiv in the winter, but the team didn’t play well. They did not fly away, but twelfth place cannot be called a great success. Especially considering Pisarsky didn’t play. But Garr is a good bet. Scouting at Wings of the Soviets is decent, not limited to just Bale.
Clear connection to a known agent
The director of “Wings of the Soviets” certainly knows the namesake Pavel Andreev. Two Andreevs in Samara worked with Pinyaev, Zinkovsky, Glushenkov, Prutsev, Kovalenko, Soldatenkov and many others. In Spartak, Pavel Andreev also has many clients, Sobolev, Zobnin, Selikhov, Maksimenko and Umyarov. Ashworth’s appointment, which is laughed at in England, falls within the concept of “it will do”.
The appearance of Vadim Andreev in Spartak could strengthen the positions of his namesakes. And this is an illiterate situation. Clients of this agency do not play in leading clubs in Europe. Zakharyan did not move to Chelsea. Zobnin did not win the Conference League with Roma. Pinyaev was not brought to Manchester United. The Wings of the Soviets themselves did not make the Rostov-style breakthrough, although the loss argument is accepted.
Vadim Andreev is remembered for the fact that he resigned, protesting against refereeing, and then stayed. Strange people can get a de facto presidency in Spartak. It is a pity that neither when the club had a pronounced boss – Fedun, nor now, when an octopus from oil is in charge, there is no guarantee of knowledge of football. Abascal certainly didn’t have any interesting signings last season, and Duarte as a symbol.
A cautious board of directors can appoint a Malyshev it knows. How strong is a manager? Spartak is unsuccessful. There were doubts about Ashworth’s qualifying but no one better could be found. As a result, there will be reshuffles, but there is no plan how to get around Zenit. Perhaps the “red and whites” are satisfied with the role of second or third force, but the fans will hardly agree.
