Last weekend, Stanislav Cherchesov attended a top-tier match in Hungary, where his former club Ferencvaros faced off against their main rivals, Puskas Akademia. Ferencvaros suffered a defeat, and following the game, the former head coach of the Russian and Kazakh national teams gave an interview to the Hungarian newspaper Nemzeti Sport. Here are the key highlights:
How he ended up in Hungary
“I was at home in Moscow, looking through the Hungarian league schedule for the weekend, and saw that Fradi were playing away against Puskas Akademia. Ten minutes later, we had already booked our plane tickets. My wife and I were planning a trip to Innsbruck to visit friends anyway, so we decided to make a stop in Hungary as well.”
His impressions of Ferencvaros
“The match wasn’t great. Just five minutes into the game, I told the people sitting next to me that, unfortunately, Fradi weren’t going to win that day. I didn’t see the spark in the players’ eyes that you need for a derby like this. I know firsthand how difficult it is to play against Puskas Akademia. But this time I was in the stands as a Fradi fan, and of course, I cared about the result. That said, Ferencvaros have an incredibly strong bench. With a squad like that, they absolutely have what it takes to win the championship again this year.”
How has Ferencvaros changed since Cherchesov’s departure?
“Since my departure, the team has had four head coaches: Csaba Mate, Dejan Stankovic, Pascal Jansen, and now Robbie Keane. Of the players who took the field on Sunday, Ibrahima Cisse and Adama Traore were key players during my tenure, and I was the one who promoted Alex Toth to the first team. Interestingly, Mohammed Abu Fani’s debut match turned out to be my last in charge.”
On Ferencvaros' 0–3 loss to Faroese side KI Klaksvik
“Perhaps only God knows why it had to happen that way. The Almighty takes with one hand and gives with the other.”
On meeting the President of Ferencvaros
“He came up to me, we greeted each other and shared an embrace. I was also touched when I was standing on the terrace watching the warm-up, and my former coaching colleagues smiled and waved at me. Although it was my first face-to-face meeting with President Kubatov since our parting, we didn’t exchange a single word about the reasons behind my departure. Back then, the president made his decision, and I simply accepted it.”
What kind of coach was Cherchesov in Hungary?
“I quickly realized that I had to set aside my ego and show a completely different side of myself—very different from the one I showed in Russia. My assistants noticed this too. If I had behaved the same way I did at other clubs, I wouldn’t have been understood and would have been dismissed within a week. In Russia, I had to be much more demanding.”
Which achievements in Hungary he is proud of
“All three trophies, and reaching the Europa League knockout stage, which marked the club’s first appearance in the spring phase of European competitions in 50 years. That was unforgettable. But I would also highlight two specific matches — the 4–1 win over Slovan in Bratislava and the 6–0 rout of Újpest. These games went down in Fradi’s history as important victories over our main rivals.”
