No matter how dense was no work schedule, Grigory and Igor SURKIS always find time to communicate with his father. Photo from archive “SE”

Today the President of “Dynamo” Igor Surkis is 60 years old.

“Life reminds me of Everest, the top of which a man reaches fifty years, and then begins to descend to the foot”, ten years ago Igor Surkis surprised in our conversation on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of the philosophical approach to a future date.

I think, and now he will subscribe uttered the phrase, except that the shifting temporal accents: sixty President of “Dynamo” does not look at the passport age, clearly seeing the peak, which is yet to conquer.

Thus, in contrast to his elder brother, Vice-President of UEFA Grigoriy Surkis, he, if we talk about physical form, are almost never supported her in the gym. Tried that once, but quickly realized that the pool he is much closer.

***

“Experience suggests that to maintain optimal conditions sufficient to spend the whole day at work, and in the evening – just to give a supper,” said he to me once. And being a smoker with great experience, gave to understand that someday I will try to give up cigarettes.

“We need stimulus” – he smiled slyly, just explaining that to make him give up the habit can, for example, the victory of “Dynamo” in the Champions League final. His father, probably the most significant authority in life (Mikhail Davidovich December marks 99), convinced the son from the height of medical expertise that the dependence it is not nicotine, and reflex – “it is possible to replace tobacco with some candy.”

Watching gradually encouraging the team, the President of the capital club have already switched to electronic cigarette. Further – depends on the players and Alexander Khatskevich…

***

Ihor Surkis recently publicly supported the coach of “Dynamo”, when after a series of setbacks, the audience started talking about his resignation. The President understands those emotions himself, it happened on impulse could fire the coach, and then regret it. Honestly admitting in an interview that hastened to put Leonid Buryak, Aleksey Mikhaylichenko, Yury Semin…

Khatskevich with a persistence worthy of respect, building a new team, in some matches without success, releasing into the starting lineup eight Ukrainians, of which seven pupils of the club Academy. And if only for this reason deserves a chance to bring it started to end.

By the way, about the coaches: there was a time when “Dinamo” was able to lead and Western specialist. Surkis just not thought about this option – more than ten years ago, when the team was coached by Anatoly Demyanenko, Kyiv came to the talks Ottmar Hitzfeld, Fabio Capello, Javier Clemente, Paul Le gouin…

***

The German has hinted that he is ready for the role of consultant, which could combine with the work of the television expert, the Italian made no secret that a priority for him – some European team, the Spaniard even made a plan of building a club vertically, however, the agreement prevented the problems of a personal nature.

The Frenchman, too: it was agreed to start soon, but Madame Le gouin, who had to wife a huge impact, yet wanted to live in Paris. And that was enough.

Gérard Houllier, national Monsieur of the Field even signed a preliminary contract, but health failed. Since then, if not to take into account never finished a season at Aston Villa FC, Houllier coaching was not involved: worked as a technical Director in team of France, the recent 71st birthday, has met the international sports Director (in MLS and this post) of the new York club “Red bulls”.

***

When it comes to loved ones, the President of “Dynamo” unexpectedly quotes Saint-Exupery, saying that the greatest luxury is the luxury of human communication. “I try to spend with my family every free moment, he said. But the problem is that, plunging in the morning to work, don’t know it, evening comes.”

To talk about the family Surkis can endlessly and thinking of childhood to tell a story with such detail that you vividly imagine the events of half a century ago. For example, as Igor got a boy with a severe scolding from his father by bringing home a well-worn hockey gear donated by some older guys. The activities the children were involved in then year-round, and he wanted to play for the team of Stankozavod in this form.

Ammunition was a little five or six sizes bigger, so more and living space on her left. Plus the smell. Father without talking threw the gift on the stairs, but helped aunt picked up, posterula and sastopama form. “Next Sunday I went out in it on the ice – and felt the happiest man on earth,” Recalling how, at the time, little need for happiness, Surkis smiled. Admitting that in addition to sports he has enough Hobbies:

***

In his school years, he collected stamps – I have still kept more than fifty klasterov not the worst in the Kiev collection. Collected and badges related to the history of “Dynamo” – almost all of them are now in the club Museum. But football has always been for me in the first place.

In the early 1970s, it should be understood, we, the boys, there were not many alternatives than to occupy their free time. It was not usual for today’s youth entertainment, and the limit of my dreams, for example, was a trip with my parents to the Crimea, in Alushta, Alupka and Yalta. A little grown up, it was sometimes to go to Sochi, that at the present time can be compared, perhaps, with the journey in Monaco.

And football was for us a real outlet. The stadium went all the schools, in advance by sending their representatives to the ticket booths of the stadium named after Khrushchev (now – NSC “Olimpiyskiy. – Approx. D. I.). Weeks discussed the next game, lived with the anticipation of the next match. Tell yourself that the time is now for another, but still surprised how few people began to go to football…

***

On football Igor resulted in six years, and somewhere in the eleven – he was ready to recall the plot literally any match in which he happened to be. “Every moment can teach you the game against “Spartak” in 1969, under the snow and rain, when goal Thinking has undermined hopes of “Dynamo” in the championship,” he offers.

And immediately rewinding the tape of memories for twenty years, tells about the fight with the same Spartak in 1989, and lost with the score 1:4.

– I was on the famous final of the USSR Cup 1973 “Ararat”, – Surkis recalls the events of 45 years ago like it was yesterday. – The match, at the end of normal time which Oleksandr Sevidov made a fatal mistake by replacing Buryak and Blokhin on Zueva and Kondratova. Then Ishtoyan first equalized and then scored in overtime. In Kiev Sevidov did not return – he was dismissed almost on the final whistle…

***

His family had permanent passes to the 40-th sector of the Republican stadium – simply put, the most comfortable seats. But few people know that the last ten or twelve Soviet Championships Surkis brothers looked at the Kiev arena… from the press box, where all the crook had produced a pass.

– It is not that there was easier to watch, I explained, Dynamo President later. – Lower layer, where it was heard every breath and word players to follow the events was easier than from the height of bird flight. After the match, we could go down the Elevator to the locker rooms to see players out there, look out the window.

I was down at halftime if we were losing, like through a crack in the curtains to examine the behavior of the Dynamo that tells the boys. Like all fans, was sure that the coach enough to say a few words, like spells – and the Dynamo in the second half will not leave the opponent a stone…

***

About Lobanovsky, with whom he later became friends, Surkis is ready to talk for hours. To remember how once in Moscow during the CIS Cup, he was offered a seat in the Spartak arena, where there are practically no seats for the audience, next to him on the bench during the match. And said forced cold: “Now you are responsible for the result.”

The game went perfectly, “Dynamo” has won – and the master, scrupulously refers to the signs and thought that in football no trifles, insisted on continue punctual observance of established traditions.

– During the match, he didn’t say a word to me, – said Surkis. – Silent I – as, however, and the coach’s assistants. The Vasilich held in high esteem was unity of command: something to tell the players assistants could only at his command. But we talked on the phone with him, discussing not just football, every day except game days. The bell rang exactly at ten in the morning.

Knowing the mode of Dynamo President realize how difficult it is for him to get used to these early conversations. And how difficult it was during one of the winter collection in Route, when after a late rebound Lobanovsky was asked to go in the morning for a run. To everyone’s surprise, the master was vigorous and fresh, though does not lay down before to sleep at the same time.

***

Once asked the day of his birthday about the most insane things in his life – those are never repeated today. And answered two interesting stories, good Surkis characterize.

The first is about how at seventeen he jumped into the water from a ten-tower. I saw in the hotel “Yalta” siaudela with insane height, making the path of the dashing somersaults, singer Valery Leontiev – and wanted to not just repeat the trick and to know how it feels at such moments. “I jumped, of course, awkwardly, “soldier”, – said Surkis, and after another attempt ended a strong injury on the water, swam to the man and asked if me blood…”

The second story is dated to a much later time. Skiing he learned in adulthood, but the first descent will remember for a lifetime:

– Being the first time at a ski resort and saw how people, headlong, move down the steep slopes, he said to himself that never on the skis will not rise. Odaka then decided – and frightened others, including older brother, taking the stick by the hand and famously rolled down from the mountain. It’s later learned that there is a special technique and instructor…

Dmitry ILCHENKO, Sport-Express in Ukraine