- Title: UKRAINE: REACTIONS TO DEATH OF DYNAMO KIEV COACH VALERY LOBANOVSKY
- Date: 7th May 2002
- Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE ( MAY 14, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. EXTERIOR OF THE UKRAINE'S PARLIAMENT BUILDING 2. DEPUTIES OF THE NEWLY ELECTED PARLIAMENT OBSERVING MINUTE OF SILENCE OUTSIDE KIEV, UKRAINE (MAY 14, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 3. FLAGS WITH BLACK RIBBONS AT THE ENTRANCE TO "DYNAMO-KIEV" BASE OUTSIDE KIEV 4. VARIOUS OF SOCCER FIELD, PLAYERS TRAINING 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) "DYNAMO-KIEV" SECOND COACH ANATOLY DEMYANENKO SAYING: "He was like a father to us. And for me he was everything, he made me a man and an athlete and I will always be grateful to him and the guys will always have a good memory of him." 6. "DYNAMO-KIEV" FORWARD ANDREI GUSEV WALKING THROUGH THE BASE 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) ANDREI GUSEV, DYNAMO-KIEV FORWARD SAYING: "All my small achievments in this life were connected to him. Now I can't even think about the cup, I am shocked. I know that people will always remember him. Sometimes people don't understand what they have, they understand it only after they have lost it." 8. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) SERGEI REBROV, EX "DYNAMO-KIEV" PLAYER, NOW PLAYING FOR ENGLISH PREMIER CLUB TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SAYING: "It is a great loss, this man have done so much for Ukraine. As for me... for me he has done more that Ukraine's President." KIEV, UKRAINE (MAY 14, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 9. "DYNAMO-KIEV" STADIUM IN KIEV 10. VARIOUS OF VALERY LOBANOVSKY'S OFFICE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 22nd May 2002 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: OUTSIDE KIEV AND KIEV, UKRAINE
- Country: Ukraine
- Reuters ID: LVA7BAFAPJREQX19OS49RH8U7A95
- Story Text: Ukraine is grieving the loss of Valery Lobanovsky,
manager of Ukraine's Dynamo Kiev and one of the most
successful soccer coaches of his generation, who died on
Monday (May 13) at the age of 63.
The Ukraine's newly-elected Parliament or Supreme Rada
has opened it's first session by observing a minute of silence
for Valery Lobanovsky, the best football coach in the
country's sport history.
Outside Kiev, at the base of Lobanovsky's team
"Dynamo-Kiev", his collegues Lobanovsky died on Monday (May
13) after complications following surgery to remove a blood
clot on his brain.
The coach, who had a history of poor health, was rushed to
hospital in Zaporizhya a week ago following a Ukrainian
premier division match between Dynamo and Metalurg Zaporizhya.
Doctors had said last Saturday that Lobanovsky's condition
was improving after he underwent surgery to relieve pressure
on his brain.
Lobanovsky will go down in history as the most successful
coach in Ukraine and the former Soviet Union for the past
three decades.
He epitomised the might of Soviet soccer when he guided
Dynamo Kiev to two European Cup Winners' Cups in 1975 and
1986.
The stern-faced coach also led the Soviet side to second
place at the 1988 European championships, their last major
achievement in international competition.
Anatoly Demyanenko, Dynamo Kiev's second coach said how
special a man he was.
"He was like a father to us. And for me he was everything,
he made me a man and an athlete and I will always be grateful
to him and the guys will always have a good memory of him," he
said.
He was also one of the first coaches to emphasise the
importance of physical fitness and conditioning as much as
tactics and technical skills.
But Lobanovsky's career was also dogged by controversy
after some of his fellow coaches accused him of resorting to
unfair practices.
Dynamo-Kiev forward Andrei Gusav was clearly devastated by
Lobanovsky death and spoke at the club's ground.
"All my small achievments in this life were connected to
him. Now I can't even think about the cup, I am shocked. I
know that people will always remember him. Sometimes people
don't understand what they have, they understand it only after
they have lost it," he said.
While coaching the Soviet national team, Lobanovsky had
unlimited power to poach talented players from rival clubs to
his own side, helping Dynamo to five league titles between
1974 and 1981.
Some rival coaches even suggested that he pushed his
players to the limit by using drugs. He always denied the
charges.
Tottenham Hotspur player and former Dynamo Kiev Sergei
Rebrov has flown over to the Ukraine
"It is a great loss, this man have done so much for
Ukraine. As for me... for me he has done more that Ukraine's
President," he said.
Lobanovsky moved abroad shortly after the 1990 World Cup
finals in Italy, but returned to Kiev in November 1996 after a
six-year absence to begin his third coaching spell with
Dynamo.
His return paid immediate dividends for the Kiev side as
they won five consecutive league titles, from 1997 to 2001.
During that time, Lobanovsky also led them to five
straight Champions League appearances, including a European
Cup semi-final in 1999.
His appointment as national team coach in January 1999,
after Ukraine failed to reach the Euro 2000 finals following a
shock defeat to Slovenia in a two-legged playoff, was greeted
with euphoria by the nation of 50 million.
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