Belarusian Football Federation Head Turns Against Lukashenka's Former Security Guard

What will be the outcome of the conflict?

Former chairman of the Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committee, and now head of the Football Federation Mikalai Sherstsneu has demonstrated an unexpected and desperate for a verticalist courage, writes Salidarnasts.

In a few words, we would like to remind you of the basis of the long-standing conflict between the Minister of Sport Siarhei Kavalchuk and Mikalai Sherstsneu: the former is interfering in the football sphere managed by the Federation, which does not live on budget money, but on European funds from UEFA.

Now the conflict has reached a new level. On 14 March, at the conference of the ‘Belarusian Football Federation’ Association, Sherstsneu made several sensational statements: it is hard to remember the last time when any of the regime representatives criticised their colleagues so harshly.

Sherstsneu publicly and directly stated that ‘the number of football players and schools is decreasing,’ while ‘the club rating (the rating of Belarusian teams in Europe - note) has collapsed due to multiple and absurd bans’.

These include the ban on training camps abroad (held by teams in winter in warm countries to improve competitiveness) and the salary cap, which forced the best Belarusian players to leave for other countries.

Moreover, there was a fight between Sherstsneu and Deputy Minister of Sport Aliaksandr Darakhovich at the conference.

- I'll tell you this, young deputy minister. Please don't teach me, I have more experience in managerial work. If you listen to the report and do not hear me, you get lost in the eyes of this hall.

- Dear Mikalai, I am not a young deputy minister, but a government official.

- How can you ask a question about distributing money when you did not agree on the budget of the federation last year? We could not fulfil our obligations with traditional partners. It is not the federation that you have messed up with. This money was not received by the regions, the children's football, - the head of the Football Federation was indignant.

Another of Sherstsneu's statements: ‘Every year various bureaucratic procedures are invented, but not measures aimed at developing football’.

The words of the manager are especially impressive against the background that earlier Aliaksandr Lukashenka repeatedly publicly hinted that he was on the side of his former guard Siarhei Kavalchuk. In November last year, the ruler said: ‘And let Sherstsneu not cry that the decision on wages was wrong. Mikalai, what is there to pay for?’.

And just 11 days before the conference in the Football Federation, where Sherstsneu publicly criticised the Ministry of Sport, Lukashenka reappointed Kavalchuk to the post of Minister of Sport (the latter has been there for 7 years - an absolute record for this post). He also said:

- You should stop this runaround with Sherstsneu. If Sherstsneu is not able to work in this position, then we will look for another person.

Against this background, the manager demonstrated an unexpected and desperate courage for a vertical administrator with his speech on 14 March.

What is the difference between the approaches of Lukashenka and his former security guard on the one hand and Sherstsneu on the other?

The former thinks not about football development, but about how to take revenge on the athletes who in 2020 massively condemned violence in the country (‘Well, how can you forgive public people? They are all public people - health care, education, media, culture, sports... Each of them is public').

Reappointing Kavalchuk, under whom the Belarusian sport experienced degradation and politically motivated purges, to the post of Minister, testifies to the fact that the priorities of the authorities have not changed.

Sherstsneu, of course, is not an oppositionist, but a child of the system. But even he rebelled because he can't accept that the Belarusian football is being ruined before his eyes.

Six months ago, former goalkeeper of the Belarusian national team Hennadz Tumilovich said:

- From what I know, he (Sherstsneu - note) communicates with football people who for some reason are not in the system. Take Vasia Khamutouski (condemned violence in 2020 - note), for example. How is it that the man is not working?

What will be the outcome of the conflict between the Football Federation head and the Minister of Sport? The chances of Sherstsneu's dismissal are growing, as nothing so far indicates that Lukashenka will give up support for his former security guard.

The ruler has been acting on the principle of ‘apres moi le deluge’ for quite a long time, not being able to cope with his vindictiveness.

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