Sport Weekend | Alexey Karvanen: We’ll try not to mess up the “European cup” task

12.07.2010 “Spartak” sports director talks about the drawing for the European cup season and the club's newcomers.
On Thursday Barcelona witnessed the drawing for the European cup which for Saint-Petersburg “Spartak” starts with qualification round. Our team was among the seeds but the rival drawn for us is the strongest team in the second group – PAOK from Thessaloniki that took the 5th place in the regular championship of Greece. The first game will take place on September 29th at PAOK’s ground, the return game – on October 6th at “Yubileyny”.
“Sport Weekend” journalist discussed the drawing results and the latest “Spartak”s acquisitions with the club’s sports director Alexey Karvanen.
- Did “Spartak” have an opportunity to get a wild card to the group stage of the European cup?
- This possibility was tiny especially given that “Krasnye Krylya”, Samara got to the group stage as a finalist of the Challenge cup. We were preparing for qualification games from the very beginning.
- Are you satisfied with the drawing?
- It’s half-and-half. On the one hand it’s interesting to test our abilities in the game with such a reputable rival, as PAOK won the European Champions cup and the Korac Cup in the 90-s and has often participated in the European League lately. Besides it is not difficult to find information about the Greek club. We already know that last season PAOK had great financial difficulties and has not paid yet for all the contracts. On the other hand playing in Greece is like getting in the boiling pot. Thessaloniki built a hall for 10 thousand people for the European League-2000 final where PAOK carries out its home games. Even if it is one third full, “Spartak” players will have to face additional pressure. Given that our first game is an away game in case we don’t win we should try at least not to lose a lot of points.
- PAOK has a very strong line – a Montenegrin Predrag Drobnjak, a Macedonian Todor Gechevsky and Lazaros Papadopoulos well known for his playing in “Dinamo” Moscow, Thessaloniki team’s colors are protected by the MVP of the last Greek league “all star game” – an American Chris Monro …
- It is certain that Papadopoulos will not play for PAOK. He himself told me this. We will attentively keep track of all the changes in our rival’s team though we can already say that in Thessaloniki there will be another team.
- Let’s leave Thessaloniki team’s problems to the Greeks. There are already two new players in “Spartak”, by the way you found Alexey Kotishevsky in Serbia…
- Kotishevsky played well for Russian national team at the Universiade in Belgrade and was invited to “Radnicki” club.  This team played in the Adriatic League that combines the strongest teams from five republics of the former Yugoslavia. Alexey has good statistics and what is the most important – he has spent a lot of time on the ground in a serious tournament. We hope that in “Spartak” Kotishevsky will follow the steps of Yevgeniy Kolesnikov and will compete with him for a place in the team.  
- In this situation there seems to be no place for Vasiliy Zavoruev …
- Zavoruev’s contract with “Spartak” is still in force, but his chances to be in the main team are much weaker now. In this situation both the player and the coaches may offer early termination of the contract.
- Was inviting an American Dijon Thompson who during last season played for “Hapoel”, Jerusalem an initiative of Zvi Sherf?
- Thompson’s statistics apart from “Hapoel” include “Alba” Berlin and “Azovmash” Mariupol. I saw him playing for Ukrainian champions. Besides selection in “Spartak” is organized so that neither sports director nor main coach categorically insist on inviting a player. Everything is discussed. We also adhere to the “principle of equidistance” from basketball agents. The League players that will join “Spartak” are recommended by different managers.
- Will the club administration set any specific tasks for the European club?
- The minimum task is clear: we should defeat PAOK and go to the group stage. Last year we lacked one good shot to get to the European cup “Top-16”. Of course this will be the second task after we accomplish the first one. And then we will continue step by step.
- In case “Spartak” is defeated by the Greeks, on the basis of two games “Spartak” will shift to the Challenge cup and will be in one group with “Yenisey” and “Nizhny Novgorod”…
- This will mean that we’ve messed up the “European cup” task.

Boris KHODOROVSKY