Bohdan Boyko: "We really want two or three more players to join us this summer"

The first major interview with the president of the football club "Kharkiv" Bohdan Boyko, in which he talked about the club's development, the role of Mykola Pavlov's experience, the team's ambitions, support from famous ambassadors, and the connection with the city during the war.

— Let's first talk about the past season. If we discuss not only the sports results, but the overall development of the club, how much did it meet your expectations?

— I believe it met expectations one hundred percent. We had a very tough season. As you correctly said, it consisted not only of the sports part. Last season we were rebranding, building and developing infrastructure, developing the academy. So I think it's an 8 out of 10. There is always room for improvement, but everything was good.

— You finished last season in fifth place, but overall, what were the goals?

— Honestly, last season we didn't have specific goals. We just entered the Premier League, we had a new coaching staff, more than half of the team was rebuilt. So before the start of the season, I went to the guys and said that I believe that everyone here is stronger than players from many other clubs in this championship. I believe that you can be here (note above). How much you believe in yourself, you will understand it immediately or over time — the season will show. But the main goal was to lay the foundation for this season. And then I told the guys that the higher we rise, the easier it will be for us to move towards the next goals.

— Focusing on club management, what decision over the past year has been the most difficult for you and why?

— The most difficult decision for me is when you have to part ways with good people, with professionals, like, for example, Vyacheslav Churko or Vladislav Kalitvintsev. I am very grateful to them for the seasons they spent with us, for the contribution they made to the team. Perhaps, the most difficult thing is to part ways with good people.

— What are the current goals, especially during the training camps, when you see the atmosphere in the team? Is it already about European competitions, about medals?

— When we bought the club, I set a goal that for the next 3-4 years we will be fighting for the championship. As the last season showed — we finished fifth, reached the semifinals, but I believe we could have done more. Every day we are getting stronger, developing, buying new players, so this goal is getting closer. Our task is to win the championship and win it as often as possible. Objectively speaking, everything depends on how the team approaches and prepares for the new season. It not only depends on the football team, but also on the coaching staff, on me as the president, who must fulfill his duties together with the partners and club management. I hope we will all prepare and fight for our goal.

— A rebranding has taken place — this is a global event. Such scales always resonate in the football community and among fans. What moment in the last few weeks convinced you that the club is moving in the right direction? And that fans and the community perceive the football club "Kharkiv" as a new football history?

— What convinced me the most was when I heard from the team: "Now we are Kharkiv, now we cannot lose." From the very beginning, when we came to this football club, we understood that we needed our own identity. At the same time, we wanted to preserve everything that had been done before because "Metalist 1925" was a very cool project. I want to express my respect to the founders and former owners who preserved football and put Kharkiv back on the country's football map, and then brought it to the UPL. But today, with our ambitions, we want to stand out, we want to create something new and emphasize the most important thing — Kharkiv. Kharkiv is a city that always symbolizes excellence: the best roads, the best people. I believe that for us, it is a great responsibility to have the name "Kharkiv" and represent such a city in football.

— To achieve such ambitious goals, the club is currently active in the transfer market. There are already three newcomers, how many more signings are needed for the team to meet the club's ambitions?

— I believe that every position should be competitive. Competition always leads to growth. Right now, we see 2–3 positions that need strengthening, but I will say that we are ready to accomplish certain tasks.

— Perhaps you can give us a hint. How many more potential newcomers are expected this summer?

— We really want 2–3 more players to join us.

— An interesting situation arose with the transfer of Oleksandr Yatsyk. He himself mentioned that you directly invited him to the football club, and Mladen is the coach who helped him develop in adult football. How often do you personally call the players you want to see in the club?

— I wish I could do it more often. But when we started developing this project, we focused on signing good, young, talented Ukrainian players. It is important for me that players who come to the club will give their all on the field, in the locker room, and in life for this club. We started signing such players, and they saw that we are for the club. Alexander is one of those players. I really love it when a player, regardless of the opponent or the result, plays at two hundred percent. The same goes for Ilya Krupsky and all the others. Right now, it doesn't make sense to list them all because now we all are like that.

— Are there situations where you can call the scouting department and say, "Let's invite this player to the team"?

— Not often. But we are involved in scouting work and look at players from different angles.

— Currently, the captain Ivan Kalyuzhny has extended his contract with the football club "Kharkiv" until 2030. Previously, there was information that "Shakhtar" could activate his clause and take the leader from "Kharkiv." How much did this information correspond to reality, and were there any official requests?

— We did not receive any official requests, but such rumors were circulating. I called Ivan and asked him what he thought about it. He said he is very happy in our club and wants to be here one hundred percent. In honor of this event, we signed a new contract.

— Is there a player you dream of seeing in the jersey of the football club "Kharkiv," but as of now, it seems unrealistic?

— Everyone is in place, for now, no.

— Perhaps on a European or even a global scale, as we declare big ambitions?

— I believe that the club is a large organism, and we all must grow. Furthermore, I am confident that we will grow our star that will shine in Europe. And we have such candidates.

- The club emphasizes the importance of the development of Kharkiv football. In particular, what will be the main indicator of success for you in a few years? Is it trophies, nurturing your own players, or successful performances in European arenas?

- All together. I really want to build good infrastructure in Kharkiv, I want to build an academy. I also want our club to compete for trophies and fight for them on the European stage. So, all together.

- You are a president who is deeply involved in all club processes. It was seen that you have personal communication with the players, as you were just talking to Krupsky. Share, what do you talk about, what advice do you give?

- We talk about different things. About the game, about some life moments, about goals - about everything. I am always open, so I love open people, I love sincere communication. And I believe that this is also the strength of our club, that we have created such a very good team.

- Imagine a situation: for example, the captain or someone else from the players approaches you after a certain situation. Has this happened?

- It has happened. Everyone has my number. There is no situation where someone cannot reach me. I consider these moments personal, but such moments exist.

- Do you call the players after a match? Whether it was successful or not?

- Always. I call very often. Somewhere we can joke, somewhere to rejoice.

- If the president is not satisfied with the match, there are no phone calls or messages?

- I try not to convey my bad mood to people. If the result is negative, then I experience these emotions myself. And in the morning, I wake up, review the game, call the coach, and then we communicate and analyze what was right and what was wrong.

- There were various moments in the media after the end of the last season. Unfortunately, you did not reach the final of the Cup. Insiders spread rumors that Bartulovich may not stay in the club. You supported him and expressed it in every possible way. Tell us about your communication with the coach, how often does it happen.

- We have very frequent communication. We have certain traditions, because after each game we have football. The schedule of this football depends on the game result.

- Explain.

- If the team wins, we have a 25-minute half, if they lose - an hour. After the game, there is a sauna, if the team loses, there is no sauna. What happened in the semi-final was certainly a tragedy for our club. But it's just a game. We survived it, and in the morning we started talking about the championship. What else to do but support each other. So, Mladen Bartulovich, first of all, is a very sincere, very good person. Secondly, I trust his ideas. We talked when I hired him. So we talked about two topics: life and football. And we agreed on both. I was one hundred percent sure that with Mladen we would achieve results. We have a young team, a young coaching staff, young owners, so we are, so to speak, moving in the same direction, moving. I believe that we are moving in the right direction, and everything will work out for us.

- At what moment did you realize that you did not make a mistake in choosing the coaching staff?

- After the match with "Shakhtar" I saw that I did not make a mistake. I always wanted the team to play football, regardless of the opponent. In the first game with "Shakhtar", in my opinion, we showed very good football. We were not afraid to play.

- What style of football dominates you the most?

- Dominant football.

- What match from the last season is memorable to you, regardless of the result?

- Of course, the victory over "Dynamo" Kyiv. Especially since it was the first in the history of our club. I really liked the second match with "Obolon", I really liked how Mladen acted after the first half, how he managed to give that emotion to the team for the second half. And, of course, the match with "Veres".

- If we talk about personalities, maybe someone from the players pleasantly surprised you last season?

- Many. Vova Salyuk pleasantly surprised me. Vanya Kalyuzhny always surprises. All the guys. As I said before: everyone gave themselves two hundred percent so that the team could achieve results. Peter Itodo is a pleasant surprise for everyone. I think he is a very good forward.

- Let's go back to those matches where Mladen Bartulovich is involved. You have traditional staff versus coaching staff sparring. It turns out that you usually play against the head coach. It was noted that you have very good football skills on the field, which Bartulovich also noted. Did you play football, right?

- I played, yes.

- Tell us in detail.

- I played for the Dynamo Kyiv academy. Honestly, I don't remember, but probably until I was about 13, if I'm not mistaken. Then I decided not to interfere with Dynamo playing and focused more on studying.

- But football still remained in your life?

- It's my only hobby, also skiing, but skiing is more in winter. I live football, I have been a fan of AC Milan for 22 years. I play football every week, I even have injuries like professional footballers. So, yes, football is life.

- Who was your football idol?

- I started watching football because of Andriy Shevchenko. I started rooting for Milan because of Andriy Shevchenko, and I learned about football because of Andriy Shevchenko. So, Andriy Shevchenko and Zlatan Ibrahimovic can be highlighted. These are two players I really liked.

- You are deeply immersed in football. And now you are familiar with legends, and in our football club "Kharkiv" there is also a legend - Mykola Pavlov. He came to the club at your invitation. Tell us about this moment.

- I repeat: I believe that we have a very ambitious project. But we need to learn in some moments. You always need to learn. Mykola Petrovich is the person who will suggest, who will see what we do not see. We have talked to him more than once, and I saw how much he likes our project and how much I take from these conversations for myself. It's not just about me, because everyone wants to approach him to talk and listen. He sees everything himself, he can approach. I believe that Mykola Petrovich will add a lot to us as a person with experience, as a person who has been involved in creating certain things, creating Ukrainian football for many years.

- It is clear that Mykola Petrovich has a wide range of functions in the club. Perhaps there is already some advice that Mykola Petrovich gave?

- Every morning.

- For example?

— A lot of things. As for the sports component, a lot is suggested. It tells you how to act in certain situations that happen to us. Mykola Petrovych is a very responsible person, so there is always a phone call at eight in the morning. Not now, because I'm at the training camp, so we see each other every day. And before the meetings every day at eight in the morning, he had already called, and we had already discussed what had happened before. I see how certain football players, coaches listen, approach, consult with him. So I think it's a very cool symbiosis of experience and youth. I want to separately mention that Andriy Viktorovych Polunin worked with us before, and his loss unfortunately changed a lot in our club. The second half of the season without him we started not as well as we did in the first. He made a great contribution to our club.

— The club is developing media-wise, as well-known athletes who are ambassadors of the club are involved. Elina Svitolina joined, before that it was Daria Bilodid.

— And Sergiy Stakhovsky. Yes, we involve such ambassadors who emphasize our ambition. Daria Bilodid, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Elina Svitolina are super athletes. I've seen how they react to losses, how they strive for victories. They are patriots, they are champions of our country. Also, these people, I believe, transmit some aura, energy to us. I'll reveal a little secret: when the Ukrainian championship ends, I don't watch football at all for exactly a month. Until the first of July, I don't watch football. By the way, the game against "Karabakh" was the first game I watched after the championship. During this whole month, I watched tennis. Adrenaline drops, but it needs to be maintained somehow, and my hobby is tennis. I love watching it. So, I see what a champion is: it's when you play from ball to ball, when you don't get distracted, don't get nervous, when you have a goal, and you go for it. People like Elina, people like Sergiy, like Daria, transmit to us a hundred percent some champion aura. I believe that for our guys, it's also very pleasant and means a lot when such people support our club.

— Many in our club play paddle tennis, Elina also plays paddle tennis, Stakhovsky too. Maybe there will be a tournament organized together with the team?

— There are penalties for paddle tennis in the team. So only during breaks throughout the season.

— Only for the coaching staff?

— We will organize it with the coaching staff. After a victory.

— Our women's team achieved a golden double this year. Did you set such a goal, or did the team surprise you?

— I have nothing to do with it. My wife is the president of the women's team. It's tough. I come home, and there's the Cup, first place, and I'm fifth.

— Is there domestic competition?

— Yes, domestic competition.

— Then should the golden double be achieved next season as well?

— We are really proud of our girls. We wish them to reach the group stage of the Champions League now. They are truly the best. It's very nice to come and watch how they play, but there are completely different emotions there. They are so determined, they fight till the end. I recommend watching women's football. It's very nice. I also want to mention our AMP team - "Kharkiv Unbreakable". These guys really motivate me. It is very important for us to support our military in sports projects. Also, the football club "Kharkiv" always partners with the "Sergiy Prytula Charitable Foundation" and the "Khartya" corps. Today, supporting the military is on the same level for us as sporting results. I want to say a big thank you to our military for emphasizing how strong our city is. I think in 2022, no one believed in Kharkiv as much as the Kharkiv residents did.

— Last year the team went to Kharkiv, now the girls have taken their awards to the city. How important is it for them to feel Kharkiv, even its air?

— It's very important. We have Kharkiv residents in the team: captain Ivan Kalyuzhny, Ramik Gadzhiev - a Kharkiv resident. But many people didn't understand what Kharkiv is. We came, showed the stadium where we once played, showed the city. Kharkiv is an incredible city. Kharkiv in the war, it withstood being 30 kilometers from the enemy. When you come to Kharkiv, you get very charged. I have to come to Kharkiv once a month, once every two months to walk in Shevchenko Park, and I'm already a different person.

— At what moment did you feel like a happy president of FC "Kharkiv"? Maybe at that moment it was still "Metalist 1925"?

— Probably when we returned to the UPL - that moment was very memorable. Honestly, this whole season also felt very happy.

— Do you have a football dream that you haven't voiced publicly yet, but it exists inside you and you see the result in the perspective of some years?

— I think, like all owners - to fight for European cups.

— Let's do it this way. Where will FC "Kharkiv" be in 5-10 years? And what will it be like?

— In 5-10 years, the football club - in Kharkiv and with European cups as the champions of Ukraine.

— What kind of European cup?

— It would be strange if I say I want to win the Conference League. I want to win the Champions League, so our goal is to win the Champions League. How well we approach this goal depends only on us.

— If fans came to you now with the question "Why should I believe in this project?", what would you tell them?

— In this matter, I always prefer to say not with words, but with deeds. Until this moment, we haven't given such interviews at all. Look: in two years, we have come a certain way. We took the club, we rebuilt it, we got out of the First League. We are growing in all aspects: media, infrastructure, sports. We try to learn and gain experience from European giants by entering into strategic partnerships with them. And yes, probably to this day our results are not always convincing, but what we do, work, correct mistakes, and become stronger - this is a fact. This may deserve some love and respect. Most importantly, all this is done for the city, for Kharkiv, for development. It is really a huge responsibility for us because we represent such a big city on the football arena. I believe that we will justify this responsibility. The moments that everyone will be happy about are not far off.