"A meeting with bigfoot is more likely to take place than the USC CSKA will be completed"

CSKA begins preparations for the new season without significant changes in the championship squad. The losses of Alexa Avramovich and Amata Mbaya were offset by the invitation of players with experience playing in the VTB United League. The club also managed to maintain a strong forward line in the form of Tony Jackiri and Livio Jean-Charles. In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, Andrei Vatutin, president of the army, did not rule out that a sixth legionnaire would appear on the team's roster, but they would not rush to invite him. He also discussed the international agenda and problems with the construction of a new arena.

The funds received for Avramovich significantly contributed to the preservation of the quality of the composition

— This year, CSKA completed its recruitment as one of the first in the VTB United League and at the same time almost retained the championship squad. How did you manage it?

— In recent years, the club's budget has been reduced several times for obvious reasons, and the management again had to find a balance between the desire to maintain a winning squad and the real possibilities to do so. I won't hide it, Alexa Avramovich's transition helped us a lot. Dubai paid a buy-out for the termination of his contract, which significantly contributed to maintaining the quality of the squad. In general, I repeat, based on the possibilities, we are satisfied with the results of the summer personnel work to date.

— Will you sign the sixth foreigner? Or will you save this option for the second part of the championship?

— It is clear that the decision not to sign the sixth legionnaire was primarily motivated by a desire to save money. We have always been in favor of recruiting a team in the summer, so that the team and its "chemistry" are formed at the very beginning of work, but, alas, we have to adapt to reality. We will start the season with the current squad, now there are 15 players on the roster, which is quite enough for a full rotation. We do not exclude the possibility of acquiring a sixth foreigner, but we will not rush it.

— Which loss would you call more serious? Avramovich's departure or Mbye's?

— I can't compare them, they are basketball players of different roles, and each was valuable and dear in his own way, both became part of the club's history. I was personally incredibly touched by the way Amat said goodbye to the club, and in his address he tried not to forget anyone from the large team. Unfortunately, it was impossible to keep the guys: both went to the top level, to the Euroleague, signing long-term contracts. We have established good friendly relations with both Alexa and Amat, we sincerely wish them good luck in their new place, we will follow and worry. We will be rooting for Alexa right now, at the European Championships.

— Did you have to buy out Cleveland's contract or was he a free agent?

— I don't like the phrase "buy out the contract", it sounds inaccurate. In the agreement between Antonius and Loko, there was a clause on the possibility of termination of the contract for the prescribed amount. As I said earlier, the proceeds from Avramovich's transfer helped us. Antonius had a great season at Loko, and now we are waiting for his progress in our ranks.

— So far, the last action of your club in the market was the extension of the contracts of Jackiri and Jean-Charles. Did they immediately agree to stay, or was it a difficult negotiation?

— I had to wait and watch the actions of the competitors, because the cool "big ones" are a piece—by-piece product. There was a particularly high demand for Tony, who was of interest to many Euroleague and European Cup clubs. Fortunately, we were able to retain perhaps the best pair of centers in the United League.

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No one will mind if Chadov follows Vorontsevich's path.

— How would you rate Ruzhentsev's return? Do you believe that he will gain a foothold in the rotation of Pistiolis on the second attempt?

— We talked a lot about this return with Andreas, and Samson also talked a lot with the coach. Together we decided that now there are all the conditions for a player to reach a new level, it all depends on mutual understanding and hard work. I don't think that's going to be the case. Ruzhentsev is one of the most promising players in the country, and the club has high hopes for him. I believe that he will justify them.

— In your opinion, is Chadov a ready—made player for the base, or will the first season be an adaptation for him to a big club?

— It's probably too early to count on Alexander as the main player right away. At the same time, he showed a mature game at Nizhny Novgorod, proving that he is ready for more. I believe that in the form of CSKA and next to cool, experienced teammates, he will have every opportunity to play hard and make progress. The "big ones" are guys who depend on creators and rarely make a game on their own, so we, along with Melo, Kasper, Ivan Ukhov and others, will get a chance to prove himself. No one will mind if he follows the path of our basketball legend Andrei Vorontsevich and spends many years at CSKA.

— Are there too many players in the first team right now (15)? Can someone go on loan, or is there CSKA-2 for young players to practice?

— This number is probably optimal for rotation, because injuries and illnesses can never be ruled out. In addition, we have brought in young guys with an eye to the future, and in the coming season Zaitsev and Klyuchenkov will certainly be involved in matches as part of CSKA-2.

— Will the coaching staff of the first team be strengthened after Bartunov's transfer to the farm club?

— First of all, we wish Oleg good luck at his new job. After the last super-successful season of CSKA-2, the bar of expectations has been raised to the very top, and in this sense it will not be easy for him: the composition of the team has changed dramatically. But we remember that for this team, the most important thing is not the Super League prizes, but the growth and development of young players. As for the headquarters of the main team, Andreas has no plans to invite someone to replace him.

— Were you surprised that there were almost no rumors about CSKA this offseason?

— First of all, this is due to our absence from the European sports space, in the information field there, where most insiders work. Besides, we haven't made any significant changes to the line-up. Nevertheless, there were some rumors, and we read them with interest.

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Russia and CSKA are not currently among the interests of the NBA-Europe

Zenit signed Dimitrievich, Randolph and Robertson, UNICS — Lee and Pierre. Did CSKA offer this summer players who spent last year in the Euroleague?

— Agents offer everyone a huge number of basketball players with a wide variety of resumes, so the answer is yes — in general, with regard to players with recent Euroleague experience.

— And what about the strengthening of competitors? Who impressed you the most?

— I think our colleagues have similar budgeting problems with us, we all work in the same coordinate system. At the same time, everyone did a great job. Zenit, UNICS and Lokomotiv Kuban have significantly redesigned their teams, and there are also new head coaches in St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. Fans are probably pleased that the clubs have made great acquisitions, and the season will definitely be interesting.

— The league has been reduced by one more team this year. Is it sad that in such a big country we can only find 11 clubs for the top division?

— Alas, this is the reality. Economic factors multiplied by basketball ratings do not allow for more yet.

— Is the addition of a new tournament with the participation of two ABA League clubs an important event in the current environment? And does this mean that now the United League clubs will completely forget about the Russian Cup?

— Of course, this is a curious challenge for the League. Even if there are no foreign top clubs in this tournament, we get an international competition with an official status, we have the opportunity to "cook not only in our own juice." And we don't forget about the Russian Cup: CSKA-2 has been competing in it for several years.

— The Super Cup in Belgrade will be played in two days. Isn't the deadline too tight? Or are we in the wrong situation to complain right now?

— Two matches in two days is a normal situation for the pre—season, in previous years we had to play three matches in four days, and some teams even three in three. Objectively, the league was unable to provide other deadlines, if only because the Eurobasket is taking place until mid-September, and the leading players of Euroleague clubs will be in the national teams, and the Euroleague season (like the VTB United League) starts on September 30, and immediately with a "double week". We are grateful to Crvena Zvezda and Dubai for choosing the Super Cup as the final stage of preparation in such a tight schedule.

— Will the budget undergo any changes for the new season? Or will it remain at the level of last year, given the fairly stable ruble exchange rate over the past six months?

— I am grateful to all the sponsors of the club for their support, we appreciate everyone's contribution. The ruble exchange rate is largely a derivative of the economic situation, so the size of the budget depends on the ruble/dollar or ruble/euro pair, of course, but not primarily. Ruble-denominated expenses related to flights, logistics, services, rental of locations, and others have increased significantly due to the general increase in prices. In any case, the budget has been formed, and we continue to work on reducing costs and finding new sources of income and sponsors.

— There is no doubt that a league under the auspices of the NBA will be launched in Europe soon. In an interview with the Greek press, NBA Europe Director George Ayvazoglu even noted that clubs from Russia will have the opportunity to participate in the NBA and FIBA leagues in Europe. Have you changed your attitude towards this project? Do you believe that it will become a serious competitor to the Euroleague?

— Russia and CSKA are currently not among the interests of the NBA, and no one has approached us on this topic. In general, I would say this about the project. The NBA's desire to launch a new league remains unchanged, but the timing of the project can be adjusted. The NBA is in no hurry, patiently studying the market, holding meetings with possible candidates — both teams and cities. In my opinion, a similar NBA project in Africa has not met all expectations, so a second attempt to "enter" another continent will be very balanced. No one from the NBA will invest in European basketball for a long time, ideally they want to create a competition model under their own brand, mainly for European money.

The Euroleague is going through difficult times, the main problem is the search for club unity. A ten-year licensing agreement is coming to an end in a year, and not all clubs are ready to extend it today, keeping the NBA draft in mind. We sincerely hope that everyone will be able to find common ground. It is very important to preserve the European specifics here, not to go to extremes. In our opinion, the Euroleague has been moving in the right direction over the years, developing noticeably and achieving significant results. I don't want to lose it all.

— In the summer, CSKA coaches participated in the Euroleague Coaches Congress, giving a master class on spacing. Did the club have any other interactions with the tournament after the end of the season in the United League?

— It is important to note here that the Euroleague Coaches' union is an independent association that is not part of the organization's structure. Therefore, it cannot be included in the list of mentioned interactions. Otherwise, everything goes on as usual, we regularly participate in meetings of the Board of Shareholders, including the annual Assembly, and vote on an equal basis with other clubs. The country's leadership and the Ministry of Sports have clearly outlined the importance of maintaining the representation of our sport in international sports organizations, and our work in this regard will continue. CSKA's positions in the Euroleague have been shaped for decades, and there is no point in abandoning them on your own initiative. We need to think not only about today.

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"It is a pity that at one time it was decided to demolish the USK"

— In our December interview, you said: "If the unfinished arena stays in this condition for the winter, it will be easier to demolish it." It seems that the builders did nothing in the end. What is the current situation with the USC? Are there any prospects for continued construction?

— There is a famous story about the possibility of meeting a snowman on the street, which, as you know, is 50-50. So, it seems to me that such a meeting is more likely to take place before the CSKA USC is completed. I have spoken many times about the reasons for this situation, there is no need to repeat myself. The building was about 30% complete, and work has not only been stopped for more than a year, but the necessary conservation has not been carried out. I am very sorry for the money and efforts of Norilsk Nickel. Our owner did everything possible to erect the facility and save it when obstacles arose. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to achieve results yet. The best, as you know, is the enemy of the good, and I am very sorry that at one time it was decided to demolish the USK. Unfortunately, there is no way back. We can only hope for a miracle or someone's goodwill to finish the construction.

— Are you already used to living in three locations? How hard is it for the club's budget?

— We got used to it, but it doesn't make it any easier. This, of course, leads to additional costs, including temporary ones, which sometimes cannot be measured with money. In addition, the workload of Megasport adds to our difficulties, where Spartak Hockey hosts a huge number of matches and training sessions, plus many other cultural and sporting events. This season, it may happen that we will only play half of our home matches in the main arena — the rest will have to be shifted to Krylatskoye. Unfortunately, there are no other suitable arenas in Moscow. The few that do have similar scheduling difficulties.