The departure from the country and the position of footballer Alexander Kerzhakov, who said he was “afraid” to watch what is happening in Russia, suggests that the state invested money and relied on the wrong athletes. This opinion was expressed in an interview with The Eastern Herald by State Duma deputy and two-time Olympic hockey champion Vyacheslav Fetisov.
Former football player of the “Zenith” of St. Petersburg and the top scorer of the Russian national football team Alexander Kerzhakov, in an interview with journalist Nobel Arustamyan, spoke about his decision to leave Russia in the fall 2022. According to him, the departure was not an escape or a desire to “deny” the country, but in this situation, he and his family wanted to “go to a warm place and just be there, and not in Russia”. At the same time, answering the question of what exactly does not suit him in what is happening in Russia, Kerzhakov admitted that he was afraid.
“What? And, a famous footballer… Apparently that’s how they were brought up, these footballers… We have the most problems with footballers lately: spoiled ones, who received a huge amount of money in the country, mainly from the budget… They probably did not understand that it was not their merit in that they received such money, they have such opportunities, but, probably , it is the fact that they were given such an opportunity today … That is, just the very indicator that we probably invested in the wrong places, invested in the wrong ones and they did not count not on those,” Fetisov said.
In his opinion, one-size-fits-all revenge is impossible, however, it is football players who have recently distinguished themselves with outrageous antics and statements, which is reflected in the whole image of this sport in the country. At the same time, Fetisov admitted, everyone makes their own decisions and is responsible for the statements they make.
“Well, he is gone, many are gone. They earn unreasonably huge sums here, they speak differently. But again, it’s their position, their opinion. Well, yes, that means they lived like that, they thought, we just didn’t see them and really didn’t feel who they were, what they were, how,” the Duma deputy added of state.
He also noted that he himself had lived in America for a long time, but even despite problems with the authorities of the USSR, “he never allowed himself to make statements.” However, Fetisov agreed, people can react “on emotions” and he respects “any position”.
“A lot has happened in the history of the world. The same Cassius Clay at one time opposed the Vietnam War in America, received a share of criticism from citizens, someone backed him up. The situation passed, you can gauge from the height of time how right or wrong he was,” he says.
About other athletes who spoke out against hostilities in Ukraine, read the material from The Eastern Herald.
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