‘They greeted us like Barcelona stars’ – Crvena Zvezda footballer Stojanovic on Games of the Future and Russia-Serbia friendship

Footballer Nenad Stojanovic gave the organization of the Games of the Future a 5-star rating in an interview with RT. According to him, his phygital team Crvena Zvezda was greeted in Kazan like Barcelona. The former Luch striker also noted that the level of the Russian Premier League has increased since he played in Vladivostok and explained why Serbia’s attitude towards Russia will not change whatever the political situation in the world. Finally, he promised to eliminate the problems that caused his team to lose its first match on the console.

– It’s been almost 15 years since you left Luch. While it’s clear that Vladivostok and Kazan are very different cities, what do you think has changed in Russia over the years?

– If we’re talking about football, I think the level of Russian teams has improved. I had a chance to play in the Premier League with Luch. Spartak, Zenit, and Lokomotiv were very good at that time. But year after year, progress became more obvious. For example, the same Petersburgers won the UEFA Cup and Super Cup in 2008. New strong teams were constantly appearing. After leaving Russia, I didn’t come here very often, but I watched a lot of matches on TV. You can watch the Russian championship in Serbia on the weekend. Plus, some fellow countrymen gave the Russian Premier League a shot.

– Seeing how you recently hung up your cleats, are tournaments like Games of the Future a breath of fresh air for you?

– You have to understand that it was no longer easy for me to continue to play at a professional level. After all, I’ll turn 45 in October. But I still keep myself in shape. I’m currently working out five times per week. I also work at an academy for children, so I can’t lower the bar. Plus, I also play in the 5x5 format. And when I received an offer to come to Kazan, I immediately agreed. Firstly, because of the opportunity to return to Russia. Secondly, because I still like to go out on the field.

– How well do you think the competition has been organized?

– In Serbia, they’d say: ‘A solid ten.’ The hotel, the people – everything is at a 5-star+ level. We received a simply wonderful welcome. I’ve played for some decent teams, but they greeted us like we were Barcelona stars. Moreover, I know that many people here love Red Star.

– What were your thoughts about coming to the Games of the Future? After all, the political situation in the world is quite tense.

– Absolutely nothing has changed in Serbia in this regard. Our countries remain friendly, and our peoples will be brothers forever. And we always feel at home in Russia. We welcome you in the same way in our homeland.

– It’s noticeable that your team is a bit lacking in phygital football. What adjustments do you need to prevent getting trounced?

– In principle, we have a fairly young squad: mostly 16- to 18-year-olds have come to Kazan. Before the start of the first match, I asked them to keep calm and not get nervous. It’s not always necessary to focus on the score. I think we’ll be able to show more acceptable results in other meetings.

– As an experienced football player, you calm your teammates in difficult moments, but Vladimir Rakich, on the contrary, gets very emotional. For example, he almost started a fight in a showdown with Mexico Quetzales.

– Actually, he plays the role of coach here. Unfortunately, when I joined the team, two good, strong players were out of action due to injury. But, I repeat: I still try to remain as restrained as possible. When you get into an unpleasant situation and lose badly, it’s better to draw the right conclusions from what happened. You definitely shouldn’t attack someone and break your rivals. However, everyone’s mentality is different.

– At the same time, it seemed that the Mexican fans in the stands had slightly fueled the conflict with their behavior.

– This is football. Emotions are an integral part of it. When CSKA plays Zenit or Barcelona plays Real Madrid, the same thing happens. People can be friends off the field, but during matches, they’ll clash hard. No one likes to back down. You just have to fight to the end – the chances of reaching the playoffs remain.

– Did you feel how the people were rooting for Red Star?

– You know, this warm attitude was felt not only in the arena, but also outside of it. For example, when we were walking around Kazan. We have noticed how people see us positively. Some have come up and asked to take photos with us, and almost everyone knows our team.