A New Giant In Europe: BATE Borisov

Nice start mate, keep it up! Very fun idea!

As expected, Anatoliy Kapski became the new chairman of BATE Borisov this morning. The billionaire declared that he was a long life fan of the club and it was the best day of his life. Concerning the available budget for the current manager Victor Goncharenko, Kapski refused to tell us numbers. However he told us that he had confidence in Goncharenko and that he will be the one making plenty of transfers and also the manager on the bench at the start of the season (in April).

abir_dc & Blue- Thanks guys Means a lot to me.

Really nice idea. Hope you take BATE to the top

2013-08-22 14:40#130548 Akash : Really nice idea. Hope you take BATE to the top

Thanks Akash

24 hours after BATE Borisov was bought by the billionaire Anatoliy Kapski, our Sport Investigator come back from Belarus with: 5 facts to know about BATE Borisov!

Number 1: The club was refunded in 1996. It won the third division in his first season and then got promoted to the top division by finishing second of the second division. Since then they finished first 8 times, second two times, third one time and fifth also one time. It was in 2005 and they won all the league titles since this failed season (six consecutive titles).

Number 2: The star at the club is undoubtedly Alexander Hleb, 31, who played for Arsenal, Barcelona and Stuttgart. The player also managed 60 appearances for his country. Another keyplayer of the squad is Maksim Bardachou. The left back is a transfer target for Stoke, West Ham, Sunderland and Celtic!

Number 3: The current manager, Victor Goncharenko, is a real legend at the club. He won the last 5 league titles and was also player for the club, making 84 league appearances between 1998 and 2003.

Number 4: BATE is an acronym of Borisov Works of Automobile and Tractor Electric Equipment.

Number 5: Belarus league calendar isn't the same than English one. The season start in end of March and finishes in November. But for the team to play in European competitions they must play in December and February! But for the five months to come the club won't have any UEFA game as they didn't pass the Europa League group stage.

nice one!

2013-08-22 16:09#130575 corbmiester : nice one!

Thanks m8

BATE Borisov new chairman, Anatoliy Kapski, talk with our special reporter in Belarus: Alphonse Robert, about his ambitions for his new club. The 46 year old businessman answer all questions. He speaks in a perfect English and is always smiling. After the interview he gave a season ticket to Robert and told him that if we wanted another interview he would always accept.

Alphonse Robert
Anatoliy Kapski

- Before buying BATE Borisov, how were you implicated in football? What league did you follow?
- I love football since I'm very young and I played between the ages of 7 and 15. But I never had the talent that had my younger brother [Andrei Kapsy who played 45 times for Belarus scoring 11 goals], and I didn't manage to join BATE youth team. I always dream to be implicated somehow with BATE and I finally manage to! I go to games often and I also watch Premier League and LIGA.

- The current manager, Victor Goncharenko, won the five last league title. Will you keep him at the head of the team or will you try to appoint a bigger name?
- Victor is already a big name at Borisov. All the fans, including me, love him! I don't know why I would have to change manager when I have the best guy you can have in Belarus. But I will ask him to improve the staff. I'm not telling to our coaches and scout that they are all fired but Victor need to sign more members in these domains if we want to progress.

- You have reportedly injected a lot of money in the club budget. Will some on this money will be used for improving training grounds or youth academies?
- All the money will go in training grounds or youth academies! And also in the recruitment system. I also intend to build a new stadium but this isn't easy so we can't officially promise one today.

- You mean that 200M pounds or more will go in Youth academies and training ground?!!
- It is about that. Yes.

- And the transfers? Will you put money on transfers?
- No, I want to have a team with only players from our academy before 2016! And with this team I want to reach Champions League quarter finals and also I want to see Belarus participate to the 2016 European Championship with only players from our club!

- This is crazy! Are you allowing Goncharenko to make any transfers?
- He can buy free Belarusians players under the age of 23. And he can also sell every player he wants. I have total confidence in him and I will let him manage the as he want to.

- Hum, yeah. You told us your ambition was to reach Champions League quarter final, but when do you think that can realistically happen?
- In two season. Next season is a bit to close and I think a better target would be to win Europa League! I would also like to win a game against a big team. Last season was incredible we won against Lille [1-3] and Bayern [3-1. BATE and Arsenal were the only team to beat Bayern!].

- And at a national level. Do you have special ambition except winning the league.
- Yes. As you said we need to win the league. Our club can't have another aim than that. I would also love to win the national cup because the club manage it only two times and I missed the two finals. I want my squad to win the most individual trophy as possible and I would like to have a season without losing a game. It would be incredible. [BATE manage to finish two seasons with only one league defeat. It was in 1999 and 2008.].

- Your clubs is actually making all head-titles on the web and in medias. Do you think that it can help the Belarusian league to progress?
- Yes. It will surely help all the country. Us winning the Europa League title will be the first step for all Belarus as our UEFA coefficient will go higher and we will get more teams in European competitions. The prize money will be very important for all these teams and help them to grew. Back in Borisov we will help the league to get more money from televisions rights and sponsors and it will slowly but surely progress. As we will have the best youths in Europe, Belarus will also improve on the international scene. We will be at France 2016, Brazil 2016 and Russia 2018 without any doubt.

- But aren't you afraid that only having academy products in the squad can slow up your progress, and at the same time all Belarusian football?
- Did you listen me?! For the next 135 years we will produce the best wonderkids in the World. Better than the Brazilians or the Dutch! And as we will have a lot of them we will be forced to sell some of them to other teams in the country. So everyone will have great wonderkids but we will have the best ones. And in less than 15 years we will have 4 spots in Champions League! Probably 4 teams to reach the quarters finals and two in final. And in Europa League we will do as did the Spanish and the Portuguese not along ago. Have three teams in semi-finales! In 25 years, you [medias] will talk of us as you talk of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool, Bayern or Brazil! Legends! LEGENDs! [ He is now shouting but still smiling] Did you hear this time? Did you understand! Did the world understand! WE WILL BE LEGENDS AND BELARUS WILL BE THE GREATEST POWER THE WORD AS EVER SEEN!!!

- Yes I understand. Thanks for this interview and goodbye!
- It was a pleasure. I love medias, do you want a season ticket?

And you know the end. But this is only the beginning of a new era in football.

Yesterday BATE's chairman, Kapski, declared to French Sports Newspaper: L'Equipe, that he had a total confidence in Goncharenko. The manager won five league title with BATE (+ two as a player) is considered as a legend at the club, but this morning a post on the club website wrote:

www.fcbate.by:

---

"It is with a few regrets that Borisov Works of Automobile and Tractor Electric Equipment Football Club announces that Victor Goncharenko has been relieved of his duties as BATE Manager.
This has been a difficult decision for the owner, Chairman and Board to make and everyone here will respect Victor forever for his loyalty and his extensive contributions to the Football Club."

The reason why this decision was taken is still unknown and the club refuse to communicate with medias. Goncharenko is also uncontactable but we will try to provide you further information tomorrow.

Great press conference, very unique!

2013-08-23 11:59#130831 HamoudiLFC : Great press conference, very unique!

Thanks m8

Nice Graphics

2013-08-23 12:01#130834 Louis O. : Nice Graphics

Thanks

The day after his sack from BATE Borisov, Victor Goncharenko is ready to talk to us about this weird decision by new chairman Kapski, that Victor consider as the craziest guy he ever met!

The Guardian journalist
Victor Goncharenko

- Could you explain us how this happened?
- Hum, it is quite a weird story. Like this gu., Kapski is a very weird guy. When he became chairman I had a meeting with him, the board and the staff. He told me that the post was mine, that he had confidence in me and that he loved what I did before with club. He also told me that I would have 250M€ to spend on transfers and never talk about the conditions that he announced two day later in L'Equipe. Only youths and free players, no money at all! I thought he was just telling that to L'Equipe just to prepare something big and surprise everyone. From the start I thought he was a surprising guy so it didn't seem so weird. But I decided to go and ask him and then I understood that BATE at been sold to the craziest man in the World. He told me that we didn't need to spend any money on transfers and that he expected me to prove that I was the manager he wanted by winning Champions League next season with a squad average age under 20 years old! He told me that is dream was to crash Real Madrid 8-0, and explain that he wanted us to sign Messi on a free transfer when he finished his contract at Barcelona. I told him that he was crazy. He laughed. I told him that I needed a bit on money for transfers, even if it was 5M€ [The budget with the last chairman]. He laughed again. So I left the room and slammed the door, and I think he didn't like that because he stopped laughing. Three hours later I was back in his office and it was the end.

- Do you think a better relation with him could have been possible?
- No, there would have been a moment were one of us would have left. I mean I would have left or he would have sacked me at a point or another.

- What do you think Kapski can bring to the team to make it bigger?
- Money. He can give the team a lot of money and he is already doing it in key domains. The youth academy will grow a lot and the club will have better training grounds. But with is mad objectives I'm afraid that he will destroy the club.

- Do you really think that can happen?
- I don't know. I have a bad felling with all this but maybe Kapski will manage to have a team with the best wonderkid in Europe. But it is just so weird. Before he came we all thought he would make BATE a more attractive team and now he just seems to want a team with our youth products. This isn't a bad idea but I don't think it will work. You can put 20M, 50M, 200M, or 500M€ in our academy, this will barely change the number of wonderkid we produce. The money could be used better.

- Okay, thank you for the interview and good luck!
- No problem. Bye.