Legenda FCST. Oleg Gumenyuk

Legends of FC Sheriff. Part eight. Oleg Gumenyuk. We rated his career at our club with a rating of 77.

Tell us a little about how and where Your career began?

- From the age of 8, I started playing football in the "DYUSSH-6", then went to the "Sheriff" for viewing.

How did the "Sheriff" option come about? Did you go yourself?" Or did someone notice You?

- When we were released from "DYUSSH-6" I was left without a team, then I played for the city in Odessa. I was trained by Yuri Petrovich Kulish and Alexander Golokolosov, I was the leader of romandy. Then they asked me to go to the Sheriff's screening.

At that time, "Sheriff" was just beginning its history. Were there any doubts? To go to the viewing in Tiraspol.

- I did not even doubt to go or not to go, I immediately agreed, I wanted to achieve more than playing in Odessa for the city. Of course, they didn't take me to the Sheriff the first time, they said you would come in a month, and I went home, ran and trained for a month myself. A month passed, "Sheriff" did not contact me, after I went to Moldova to the team "Nistru" from the Attack, and played two games for them, scored 2 goals and gave 2 assists. And then the Nistru coach comes up to me and says go to the Sheriff's and they're waiting for you.

It turned out very interesting, exactly how You got into the "Sheriff". Good! 2003, Commonwealth Cup. The management set the task to the coaching staff to win at this tournament. As you know, before that, except for Dynamo Kiev and Spartak Moscow, no one could win this trophy. Did you believe that you would be able to win this competition?

- To be honest, I didn't even believe it, I just came to the "Sheriff" was still as they say young experience is not enough, in the main team has not yet come out only as a substitute, I was very interested to participate in such a tournament as the Commonwealth Cup, and I could not even imagine that we would win it. There was so much joy, well, words can not convey it!

Gaby Balint, at that time was Your coach in the team. What did he tell you before each decisive match? In that tournament.

- Oh, now I don't even remember what he told us, but I really liked him as a coach, he could find an approach to every player, because a coach should be a good motivator and psychologist. In General, he set us up so much for the games that we went out, and as they say, gnawed the ground.

The Champions League Is Ahead. Gaby Balint suddenly leaves the team. Igor Nakonechny takes control of the team, you fight confidently with Shakhtar Donetsk (which was coached by Bernd Schuster at the time). In Donetsk, what did the team lack? To advance to the next round. Did that fact affect you? That Balint had left the club.

- We played well with Shakhtar at that time, we lacked a little bit of luck, we could have beaten them, but luck was on their side. This is football, someone loses, someone wins as I said they were more lucky. The fact that Gabi Balint left us, Yes, of course, the motivation and attitude are not the same, but as they say, we are not eternal, some come and others go, so it happens in football.

Do you keep in touch with any of the guys from that Golden squad?

- Yes, of course! Vadim Borets, Jura Pryanik, Stas Ivanov.

The team was headed by Leonid Stanislavovich Kuchuk. What was it like working under him? Can this specialist be compared to Gabi Balint?

- You can compare! They were similar with Leonid Stanislavovich, it was also very pleasant to work, he, like Gabi Balint, explained everything clearly and clearly to us, of course it was easier for me to work with Leonid Stanislavovich, I did not need to call an interpreter with me. I was there if something was not clear to me, I always came up and asked, and you can do it this way or that way or it should be somehow different.

After "Sheriff" as far as I know, You played in the Amateur championship of Ukraine for "Bastion" from the city of Ilyichevsk. How so? With his experience of playing in European competitions...Moreover, You have had the experience of playing in the youth team, it is not so easy for Moldova to notice the players of such national teams as Ukraine.

- When my contract ended, I came with my wife to rest in Ilyichevsk.

people will not voice them, they made me a good offer and asked me to play three games for them, which would go to the second League of Ukraine, I played 2 games for them, after the second game I was approached by a man from "Chernomorets" Odessa and invited me to their club, I of course agreed, and went to the viewing, after a 2-week stay at the viewing, I signed a contract for three years with "Chernomorets" Odessa. At that time, they were playing in the Ukrainian Premier League. Before playing for the Youth national team of Ukraine. Representatives of the national team of Moldova came to me, and offered that I accepted citizenship of Moldova and played for the national team of Moldova, I told them give me a week I will think, and just at that moment I receive a call to the youth national team of Ukraine.

After "Chernomorets" there were clubs "Tavria", "Volyn", "TSK-Tavria". You have returned to Moldova, to the club "Zarya" Balti. Did this offer come as a surprise?

- I met my wife in Tiraspol, and I then came to Tiraspol to visit my father-in-law and mother-in-law, and when we were walking with my wife in the city, we met Sergei Pashchenko, stood with him, talked he was playing for Zarya at that time. He asked, and they told me to go, so I went and signed a contract for a year.

As I know, they played for FC Aragats and FC Masis in Armenia. There is information in the media that in the outgoing year 2020, the Armenian football Federation has been banned for life from any football-related activities for participating in the organization of match-fixing. This information can neither shock, knowing what kind of person You are. What happened?

- In 2018, on July 25, I had an operation on the knee of the cruciate ligaments. While I recovered, time passed and I didn't waste any time, just at this time I was studying to become a coach. Then a football player I know calls me and says, do you want to play football again? I say of course I want to! Well, I went and played for "Aragats" then I was offered to FC "Masis", they offered me a higher salary. Well, we played a normal game of football, then abruptly take and stop the championship! We're all in shock, what happened? why? Well, they tell us so and so, then I look at my photo on all sites and the coach of Lokomotiv and write whole poems, and what are our photos? We are the most titled in Armenia. And all the Ukrainians who played in Armenia are accused of match-fixing, we are shocked! The football Federation of Armenia gathered 6 people and decided that all Ukrainians play contractual games, if they decided so. Why didn't they call us for a lie detector? To communicate with us, they did not communicate with anyone, they decided so and that's all, they have evidence that there did not run, there did not make a tackle, there turned away well, nonsense! Now I'm still narrowing with them. And the team "Lokomotiv" is in the first place, and there basically all the Ukrainians play, and they have to go to the highest League of Armenia, and they are told that they play contractual games. I understand they wanted to expel all Ukrainians from the Armenian championship, so we will leave, but not in the same way. And they ask me questions: You are such a title-winning player. Why did You come here? I explain to them, I had an operation, I did not play for a long time, I want to play football again, because in Ukraine at this age, you are considered old and do not take. Something like that! I can't do football activities only in Armenia. But nothing, now there is a court, we will deal with them.

What are you doing in your life now? Is it possible to call the period in "Sheriff" the best in Your career?

- Now I train children in Ilyichevsk city, it is called Chernomorsk FC Brazil. FC Sheriff gave me the path to the professional world of football! I am very grateful that I was there and played. Those were my best years.