“The guys were brought to the matches directly from the trenches”: Mirzoyan summed up the results of the football year

On December 18, the Committee of Football Veterans of the Russian Football Union summed up the results of the outgoing year 2022. The New Year’s Eve tournament dedicated to the 1956 Olympic champions was held at the Spartak Moscow Academy named after Fyodor Cherenkov. In which 4 teams took part: veterans of Spartak, an amateur team of friends of veterans Korona and two RFU teams – champions of the 1956 Olympic Games and 1960 European champions.

The winner of the competition was the team of Olympic champions. In addition, individual prizes of the tournament were awarded, each of which bore the name of one of the legends of Russian football. The competition was opened and the winners were awarded by the patriarch, Olympic champion Nikita Simonyan, the bronze medalist of the 1966 World Cup Vladimir Ponomarev, the famous coach Oleg Romantsev and the president of the Union of Russian Football Veterans, chairman of the RFU Football Veterans Committee Alexander Mirzoyan. With whom we talked about the results of 2022 and plans for the future.

– How was the year 2022 for the Committee of Veterans of the RFU? What are the brightest and most memorable events this year?

– The year was very eventful. There were, of course, both pleasant events and sad ones. It is sad that wonderful people and good friends who have done a lot for Russian football have passed away. We have lost Viktor Samokhin, Georgy Yartsev. They left a bright mark on our souls.

But life goes on. A lot has been done. Even more than planned. The most significant was the 80th anniversary of Eduard Streltsov, which we celebrated together with the Torpedo football club. At the stadium of the sports town “Luzhniki” a memorable match took place, in which almost all of our illustrious veterans and the son of Eduard Anatolyevich took part. They laid wreaths at the grave of the great football player and at his bust on the Walk of Fame in Luzhniki.

We also celebrated the 100th anniversary of Vsevolod Bobrov. Also, together with PFC CSKA, they held a memorable match in the LFC CSKA. I want to thank the leadership of the army club for help in organizing. They invited veterans, his widow, Elena Nikolaevna. On the Walk of Fame in the LFC CSKA honored his memory. It was a very warm meeting. The patriarch and legend of our football, Nikita Pavlovich Simonyan, was at both memorable events.

The tournament in Novorossiysk, dedicated to the 115th anniversary of local football and the creation of the Chernomorets football club, turned out to be very memorable. The team of Russian veterans played a match with veterans of Novorossiysk football, which ended with a score of 2:2. The mayor of Novorossiysk Andrei Kravchenko, State Duma deputies Sergei Altukhov and Dmitry Pirog, Minister of Civil Defense and Emergencies of the Krasnodar Territory Sergei Shtrikov, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Delo Group of Companies Sergei Shishkarev played for Chernomorets.

After the match, I proposed to hold a tournament of teams of veterans among hero cities in Novorossiysk next year. This proposal was warmly supported by Sergey Shishkarev, for which we thank him separately, as well as for his great help in organizing the anniversary tournament. We are currently working on the details of this idea.

Also, without false modesty, I am proud of the New Year’s Eve tournament of veteran teams held on December 18, which was dedicated to the 1956 Olympic champions. For him, we have specially established eleven prizes. Rinat Dasaev received the Lev Yashin award, Anatoly Isaev’s prize as the most correct player was awarded to Alexander Orlov. And Ernest Makarov got the award for the most technical player named after Nikita Simonyan.

In general, we try to attract as many of our veterans as possible to participate in competitions and various events of the Russian Football Union, the RFU Veterans Committee, the Union of Football Veterans of Russia.

This year we hosted the 21st Everlasting Stars tournament. This is a unique competition for the prizes of the Russian Football Union. This is not the case in any other country in the world. Throughout the year, veterans over 50 play each other. The leaders of many domestic football clubs and the Moscow Football Federation help a lot with its implementation. Each of the clubs hosts the matches of the tournament twice a year and once the Moscow Federation, for which we are grateful to them. All of them understand how important and necessary it is for our veterans. In 2023, we plan to invite current players to matches so that there is a connection of worship.

– What are your plans for the next year, 2023?

– Already in January, the first tour of the 22nd season of the Everlasting Stars begins. Each tour is dedicated to one of our illustrious veterans. For example, the last round of the current season was dedicated to the memory of the honored coach of the USSR Evgeny Ivanovich Lyadin. Under his leadership, the USSR youth team twice became the European champion in 1966 and 1967. And in 1969 they took the “bronze”. In that team I had a chance to play, I was the captain of the team. Evgeny Ivanovich gave a start to life to many talented football players. Passing through the youth team, we immediately became the main players in our clubs. At 17-18 years old. So high was the level of youth competition then.

It will definitely hold tournaments on February 23 and March 8. We will invite women, football veterans to this game.

On December 18, the final meeting of our committee took place, at which it was decided to turn to the leadership of the RFU with a request to establish scholarships for women, football veterans. They also need support. Such scholarships are received by male veterans.

May 9 will be a tournament dedicated to Victory Day. We have been running it for over 20 years. We will also definitely hold the Nikita Pavlovich Simonyan tournament, which was held for the second time in 2022.

– And what makes you especially proud in the past year? What was the most important thing you did?

– I can say right away that the event that we timed to coincide with the Day of Russia, celebrated on June 12, stands apart. Under the auspices of the Union of Football Veterans of Russia, we held the first tournament “We don’t abandon our own”, which invited a team of veterans of Zorya Voroshilovograd, Shakhtar Donetsk and the Crimean national team.

It had to be seen! The guys who were under the bombings came to us. Some were taken directly from the trenches and brought to Moscow. From under the bullets. For them, it was like a breath of fresh air. Yuri Malygin arrived, chairman of the Lugansk Football Union, son of Vladimir Malygin, champion of the USSR in 1972. Great pride and tremendous pleasure that we were able to do this.

Participants traveled from Donetsk and Lugansk by bus. The Crimeans arrived first. They all settled in a hotel in Sokolniki, fed and watered. The next morning we went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, access to which was opened especially for us, since there were holidays. And missed immediately, with respect.

In total, six teams participated in the tournament. In addition to the guests, the team of Russian veterans played, which included Rinat Dasaev, Sergey Shavlo, Dmitry Ananko, Dmitry Kuznetsov, Sergey Kiryakov and many others, the team of Russian doctors and the team of friends of football veterans Korona. The matches were played on the fields of the Cherenkov Spartak Academy in Sokolniki. For which many thanks to the management of Spartak, who provided great assistance in holding such an important competition.

For the guys from Donetsk. Lugansk and Crimea, this tournament made an indelible impression. They are still calling.

We plan that this tournament will now be an annual event.

– Where do you get the strength for such a big and important work? Listen to you and wonder how much you do.

Yes, sometimes it’s not easy. But we must do everything at the highest level. Your newspaper also helps us, especially our old comrade Pyotr Spektor. He played with us both in the Streltsov memory match and in the Bobrov memory match.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our entire large football family, the leadership of the Russian Football Union and the leadership of football clubs, all fans and football fans on the upcoming New Year. And wish you all health and happiness!