You will turn 78 in July, you are the second-most decorated manager in the history of football after Sir Alex Ferguson. Still, you have chosen to stay on as Dynamo Kyiv’s head coach despite the Russian invasion when almost every foreigner was fleeing the country. What drives you?
When I saw everyone leaving I decided to stay. I couldn’t leave the club like this. After the first bombings, I immediately tried to do my best to help. I organised buses for the players’ families to cross the border to Romania, I made efforts to get the players out of the country so they could send a strong message for peace. I tried to persuade the authorities–the football association, the minister of sports–to allow the players to go abroad and play to send their message of unity, solidarity and peace. Everyone was scared; nobody knew how this would continue.
I left for Romania a few days after the invasion and thanks to some wonderful people we could organise
