Shakhtar is in my heart
Saturday, June 22, 2019
|
On June 21, Sergei Palkin and Paulo Fonseca met at the Opera Hotel
The FC Shakhtar CEO handed the former manager a personalized club shirt with the number 139, which symbolizes the number of the coach’s games at the helm of Shakhtar. At parting, Sergei Palkin and Paulo Fonseca shook hands and wished good luck.
- Football life is unpredictable. In general, there is nothing eternal or permanent, and in football everything can change in just a week, - Sergei Palkin pointed out. - We had a final meeting with the president, at which we summed up the past season and made plans for the next one. And just two days later, Roma appeared - and everything turned upside down. Fonseca did a great job here. We won multiple titles and are parting on very friendly terms. Of course, when you have passed three seasons with a coach, it’s difficult to live through such changes in emotional terms. And at the same time, I understand Paulo: it's not every day that you have such challenges. We’ve talked with him just now that sooner or later it would have happened. It’s impossible to calculate and predict the moment for the contract with us to expire and coincide with getting a sudden offer. Everything is changing. Paulo received an offer from Roma - this is a new challenge, new ambitions, and he wants to have a try. We understand him and part as friends. I wished him good luck and said that now we are going to be Roma’s fans. For us, it’s important that Fonseca with the coaching staff succeed, that our coaches are highly valued in Europe and move to serious clubs. As reporters and fans write now, Shakhtar has already learned how to sell coaches. For us, this is also a definite step forward and a positive thing. We work well not only in the scouting direction, in the transfer market, but we already manage to do this with coaches. I want to wish Paulo only good luck and victories!
Paulo Fonseca also shared his emotions:
- It’s very difficult to leave Shakhtar, to be here and feel that this is the last day, and I have to say goodbye to everyone ... I’ve had three wonderful, happy years. The players, club staff, and fans are in my heart. People in Ukraine helped me a lot, I constantly felt their support and respect, for which I want to thank them. Shakhtar is a great club! I wish Shakhtar and its fans all the best. I really want the club to continue winning and growing. People must believe and support the team in every match. And I will also remain a big fan of Shakhtar. I say goodbye, but who knows, maybe this farewell is not forever? Perhaps one day we will have the opportunity to work together again? I don’t know. Everything happens in football, and you never know your future. Now I am leaving, but I am doing this with Shakhtar in my heart. My best day with the team? There were lots of them. The most memorable for me was the first championship after Shakhtar left Donetsk. This is something special. And it's not even about me. I just felt that after leaving Donetsk, it was incredibly important for everyone working at the club. We can’t forget that people left their home. And I felt how significant this title was. Of course, I will visit Ukraine again. As you know, I have a big connection with this country because my son was born here. I have a house here, and I will definitely be back. Ukraine will always be in my life, I'm sure of that.
- Football life is unpredictable. In general, there is nothing eternal or permanent, and in football everything can change in just a week, - Sergei Palkin pointed out. - We had a final meeting with the president, at which we summed up the past season and made plans for the next one. And just two days later, Roma appeared - and everything turned upside down. Fonseca did a great job here. We won multiple titles and are parting on very friendly terms. Of course, when you have passed three seasons with a coach, it’s difficult to live through such changes in emotional terms. And at the same time, I understand Paulo: it's not every day that you have such challenges. We’ve talked with him just now that sooner or later it would have happened. It’s impossible to calculate and predict the moment for the contract with us to expire and coincide with getting a sudden offer. Everything is changing. Paulo received an offer from Roma - this is a new challenge, new ambitions, and he wants to have a try. We understand him and part as friends. I wished him good luck and said that now we are going to be Roma’s fans. For us, it’s important that Fonseca with the coaching staff succeed, that our coaches are highly valued in Europe and move to serious clubs. As reporters and fans write now, Shakhtar has already learned how to sell coaches. For us, this is also a definite step forward and a positive thing. We work well not only in the scouting direction, in the transfer market, but we already manage to do this with coaches. I want to wish Paulo only good luck and victories!
Paulo Fonseca also shared his emotions:
- It’s very difficult to leave Shakhtar, to be here and feel that this is the last day, and I have to say goodbye to everyone ... I’ve had three wonderful, happy years. The players, club staff, and fans are in my heart. People in Ukraine helped me a lot, I constantly felt their support and respect, for which I want to thank them. Shakhtar is a great club! I wish Shakhtar and its fans all the best. I really want the club to continue winning and growing. People must believe and support the team in every match. And I will also remain a big fan of Shakhtar. I say goodbye, but who knows, maybe this farewell is not forever? Perhaps one day we will have the opportunity to work together again? I don’t know. Everything happens in football, and you never know your future. Now I am leaving, but I am doing this with Shakhtar in my heart. My best day with the team? There were lots of them. The most memorable for me was the first championship after Shakhtar left Donetsk. This is something special. And it's not even about me. I just felt that after leaving Donetsk, it was incredibly important for everyone working at the club. We can’t forget that people left their home. And I felt how significant this title was. Of course, I will visit Ukraine again. As you know, I have a big connection with this country because my son was born here. I have a house here, and I will definitely be back. Ukraine will always be in my life, I'm sure of that.