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Miodrag Bozovic In point of fact the head coach of FC Moskva, Miodrag Bozovic, has made his name in Russia. He raised Amkar, a team of no repute, from the dunghill to the forth place and led it to the Euro Cup. The team he is coaching now, FC Moskva, was once even listed among the leaders of the national championship.
But this interview is not about football but about his new place of living, Moscow. Bozovic draws comparison between the Russian capital and Prague, he also recalls when he got into an accident on his way to the first training session, confides to us his intention to pay a visit to the local zoo and tells us why his friends advise him to drink Russian vodka.
I LIKE THE SUBWAY STATION WITH A DOG
Miodrag Bozovich was expecting us in a hotel on Shliuzovaya naberezhnaya.
I stayed here when I first arrived in Moscow, – he said. – It’s ten minutes drive from here to my present dwelling. It takes me half an hour to walk there.
Do you find the enormous distances in Moscow scary?
I’m still getting used to it. Usually when I felt like drinking a cup of coffee or having a snack, I went out and found everything at a walking distance. I often can’t do without a car here. I do not drive myself yet and an employing a driver.
What if you didn’t have one, could you go from Luzhniki to Eduard Streltsov stadium, for example, on your own?
Oh, I really don’t know (laughs). But I hope to take the wheel next year.
Have you ever been to Moscow before you started working here?
No. If we don’t count my visits to Moscow with Amkar, my first visit to the city was last December. Would you like to know my impressions? They say that Moscow is a big city, and Russia is a big country. But you can only grasp it when you stay here. I also thought that Moscow is big. But actually it is enormous.
If you get lost in the city whom would you call first?
I suppose I’d call our club manager.
What are you associations with Moscow?
Yurii Dolgorukii.
They usually name the Red Square…
Dolgorukii is the founder of Moscow. I remember it from my school history lessons. As for the Red Square, it seems to be a main tourist attraction. I was there three times. The first time I went there with a Russian journalist who took me on a walking tour around Moscow. We visited many places, we saw the monument to Pushkin, stepped down into the subway. By the way I liked it very much. I was there twice more as a tourist accompanied by my assistants.
What subway station did you like more?
Pooh, I can’t recall the name. There is a soldier with a dog there.
Was it Ploschad Revolucii?
Yes, definitely it was Ploschad Revolucii.
Do you find it weird that in the Red Square there is still a mausoleum of the man with whom the Soviet system is identified?
No, I don’t find it surprising. It’s the history of the Soviet people. It only seems proper to me.
But the Soviet Union is no more.
Just as there is no longer Yugoslavia. But it is history that we remember…
Our conversation was interrupted by a phone call. The ring tone of his mobile begins with well-known words “Attention! Here is Moscow”.
When Miodrag turned back to me I asked him about it.
Did you download this ring tone right after you’ve signed contract with FC Moskva?
It’s funny, but no. It’s been my ring tone for three years now. I’ve heard it once from my friend’s phone and liked it.
So was it in Montenegro?
Yep (laughs). So it turns out that I was destined to come to Russia, and to join the FC Moskva.
SWIMMING IN THE RIVER MOSCOW? NO, THANK YOU!
Do you have favorite places in Moscow?
I live not far from the stadium of Eduard Streltsov. There are two restaurants nearby: Italian and Japanese. I frequent them as they are 15 minutes away from my place.
What do you think of the Russian cuisine?
I love pelmeni, bliny and borsch. Or are they considered to be Ukraine?
Do you like vodka?
It’s good. One of my friends said that it is very beneficial for health (laughs).
Did you verify that?
No, not yet. Anyway I don’t drink it much.
What do you dislike in Moscow apart from its traffic jams?
I’ve already mentioned long distances. As for the rest I’m quite satisfied. Everything is fine except for the traffic jams, as you said. Once we almost miss a game with Khimki because of them. What I like about Moscow is that it’s very clean for a big city.
Are you serious? Would you risk swimming in River Moscow, for example?
Oh, no (laughs). The river is quite polluted. But it’s natural for any metropolis, it just can’t be clean. I like swimming. We have Adriatic sea in Montenegro, it’s one of my favorite places.
Can you recall the serious emergence you had in Moscow?
It’s hard to say. There was one, indeed. On my way to the first training session I got into an accident. It wasn’t serious but quite unpleasant. We were driving quietly along Velozavodskaya street when a car bumped into us from behind. Of course I was late for the training.
Did the management fine you for being late?
No. But then I never fine players either. I think it’s useless.
CSKA and Spartak have this practice. Even the Brazilians were fined.
Well, we do not have Brazilians in our team (laughs).
 READING IN RUSSIAN IS EASIER THAN SPEAKING
Please continue the sentence: “After Perm Moscow is...”
There is great difference. Frankly, I prefer small cities. In Perm I used to mingle with simple folks a lot. Here, on the contrary, everyone is busy working. I do not yet have any friends in Moscow.
Which European city would you compare Moscow with?
With Prague. It also has many beautiful old edifices. I think that Prague is the most beautiful city in the world.
What place do you reserve for Moscow in your rating of cities?
It is in the top three. I also like Barcelona and Madrid.
How do you spend your spare time?
I either read a book or go for a walk.
Do you read books in Russian or in Serbian?
I mostly read in Serbian but sometimes I pick up Russian book. It is easier to read in a foreign than to speak it. You get more time to think about what is being said.
Did you visit Moscow’s museums or cinemas?
Not yet but this is something I want to do.
I suppose you didn’t visit the Moscow zoo either, right?
I am planning a visit soon. My kids are joining me in a while. We will have a family visit to the zoo and other places too.
As far as I know you are divorced. Did you consider finding a Russian spouse in our capital?
I did not consider it but anything can happen in life (laughs).
RUSSIANS RAISE THE PRICES IN MONTENEGRO
What do you find surprising about Moscovites?
Do you think there are many Moscovites in Moscow? In our team, for example, there are only four of them. I think the situation is not much different in the city as a whole.
Would you like to buy flat here sometime in the future?
I don’t know. It is a very crowded city. My friends tell me: “Wait for five more years. You won’t feel like leaving this city”.
Do you own real estate in your native Montenegro?
I also have a shop in Belgrade. It is being decorated now. I will be lending it and hope to gin some money from it.
By the way, many Russians are buying dwellings in Montenegro...
This is true. When people want to get away from Moscow, they go to Montenegro. Our country is small but stunningly beautiful.
However, dwellings are already quite expensive there...
Prices went up when Russians started to buy real estate there. They seem to have a lot of money...
P.S. Bozovic smiled again. This man who resembles a Russian bear in his stature has a brilliant sense of humor. I am positive that FC Moskva is in the top of the tournament table not in the least part due to the fact that the players like their coach. It means a lot in football. Oleg Blokhin with his a carrot and stick method could not accomplish much in FC Moskva.
In the end of our conversation I asked Bozovic a question about football:
Do you find it sad that a club named after Moscow doesn’t have many fans?
No. This is normal. This is a new team, it was born only a few years ago. The important thing is that the club must grow and win. The fan-base won’t be late to materialize. There is no other way in sports.
Denis TSELYKH
Archive 03 - 2009
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