Polish football game. The famous coach was beaten by fans of his own club.
Kirill Zakatchenko April 3, 2024, 20:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Khatskevich, who worked in the RPL, was injured by masked people. Apparently, he will be leaving Zaglebie very soon.
Terrible news from Polish football. Zaglebie coach Alexander Khatskevich became the target of angry fans. The fans broke into training and beat the Belarusian, who has only been in the team for a couple of months.
How Khatskevich works in Poland
In early January, businessman Rafal Collins, 35, became the new minority owner of Zaglebie. He immediately gave a sonorous speech. Collins assured that the team will not only retain its place in the second strongest division of Polish football, but will also play in the Champions League in the future. Very ambitious. Alexander Khatskevich, who once led Rotor to the RPL, was invited to the position of head coach.
Alexander Khatskevich in “Zaglebe”
Photo: zaglebie.com
But with the arrival of the Belarusian the situation did not improve. In six games under his leadership, the team did not achieve a single victory (two draws, four losses). Now it occupies the last place in the table and with each day it gets closer to the third division. There are 12 points left for the salvation zone, nine days from the end of the tournament. What did you say about the Champions League?
On April 1, Zaglebie lost miserably at home to Katowice (0-4). After the match, Khatskevich made a statement that seemed more like a joke (the day was favorable for jokes). He said that he didn’t know what the game plan was because the players themselves decided the tactics. He then gave his email address and asked all journalists present at the press conference to send him advice before Zaglebie’s next match. “Shame, absurd” – these words appeared in the Polish press immediately after such strange statements from the coach. At the beginning of the tour, after a devastating loss in Gdansk, the coach said that his players were overwhelmed by the big stadium and didn’t know how to play.
By the way, fans on social media initially thought that the words about the players after the match against Katowice were an April Fool’s Day joke. But Goal.pl journalist Luka Pawlik cleared up the doubts: “I have attended many press conferences, but today’s was the height of absurdity. Coach Khatskevich makes Zaglebie a laughingstock. When I asked him what kind of circus show that was, he did not answer.”
Strange things are happening in Polish football, but the national team has qualified for Euro 2024:
Lewandowski will continue playing in the Euro Cup! For this we must thank Szczesny.
What is known about the fans’ attack on the coach?
On the third day of April the situation worsened. The meczyki.pl portal reported that disgruntled Zaglebie fans sneaked into the team’s training session and beat Khatskevich. According to the source, they hit him several times in the face and kicked him. A little later, Khatskevich’s own words appeared, quoted on social networks by Polish journalist Piotr Slonka.
“The training took place in a normal environment,” Khatskevich said. “But at some point a group of people showed up. They were aggressive and attacked the coaching staff and the players. My players showed unity. I grew up on the streets and I know how to behave in these types of situations. I can dodge, I can defend myself. We don’t feel safe. The problem is that the club has not worked on this issue. “This shouldn’t have happened.”
Zaglebie fans
Photo: zaglebie.com
“On Wednesday morning, a group of men broke into the team’s training session. He paused the class and spoke to the coaches and players. Given the aggressive attitude of the masked men, the club reported this fact to the police. She sent a patrol. Now all the circumstances of what happened are being clarified,” says Zaglebie a few hours after the incident.
Some Polish media treated the words about “negotiations” between fans and the team with irony, given that fists were used. And in the Zaglebie statement it is said that in the next 24 hours the club will announce personnel changes. The Polish media are sure that we are talking about a change of coach. Khatskevich will leave and Marek Saganowski will take his place.
After leaving Rotor (spring 2021), the Belarusian cannot find a stable job. In September 2022, he made just six appearances for Cypriot side Karmiotissa and it now appears that he will leave the Polish club just two and a half months after his appointment.
Khatskevich has bad memories of his work in Volgograd:
Former Rotor coach Khatskevich called the work in Volgograd the worst stage of his career
