The relationship between the Russian Football Union and former coach Fabio Capello recently could not be called simple. Retreats for early termination of the contract were found, and one of the best domestic specialists, Leonid Slutsky, was urgently called in to save the team risking being left without Euro 2016. At the same time, by a strange coincidence, the former Ural head coach Viktor Goncharenko was unemployed. Moscow CSKA, one of the most recognized domestic grandees, could not afford to miss the young and promising Belarusian specialist.
The club had to play on two “fronts”: in the Championship of Russia and in the Champions League, in addition, the coaching staff of the team is already considered one of the smallest in the country. During the absence of Leonid Slutsky at the national team’s games, Viktor Goncharenko should take on the entire preparation of the club, as planned by the leadership. The coach immediately agreed to accept the new challenge, reasonably believing that offers from top clubs come once in a lifetime.
Player career
Now the Belarusian specialist Viktor Goncharenko is only 38 years old, but he has already achieved a lot in the coaching field. For this case, the saying "There would be no happiness, but misfortune would help." This is football. Viktor Goncharenko, at the height of his playing career, at the age of 25, is seriously injured. After the cruciate ligament rupture, almost none of the players can reach their previous level. Goncharenko felt that he should not suffer, vegetate in third-rate clubs in duplicates, and decided to end his playing career.
First steps as a trainer
The former footballer immediately set his priorities for himself - he entered the university and received the specialty “football coach”. Victor Goncharenko in this regard compares favorably with his colleagues, who often have higher education in other specialties. Studying at BSUFK went to the benefit of a novice coach, and the first high-profile successes in the domestic and international arenas were not long in coming. Having worked for two years in the Belarusian BATE as a mentor of the reserve staff, already in 2007 he leads the BATE main team. An unknown club from the small town of Borisov managed to make a lot of noise in the international arena, having perhaps the most modest budget of all European teams.
Undoubtedly, the creator of this success is Victor Goncharenko. The coach was able to convey his vision of the game to ordinary Belarusian guys who were not strengthened by expensive legionnaires. Entering the main round of the most important European tournament, as well as positive results in games with giants made the whole football world talk about the real phenomenon. Everyone was unanimous: if a coach who does not have high-class performers achieves such high-profile results, then he is talented.
Interest from Russian clubs
Of course, you cannot pass a long time on one courage and tactical installations. BATE subsequently, despite the championship in the country, could not repeat the previously achieved results in the international arena. However, the club gained fame, as did Viktor Goncharenko. A trainer from Belarus has become a tidbit for more affluent Russian clubs. Despite the interest of the Krasnodar “Kuban”, BATE was in no hurry to part with the mentor who did a lot for the formation of the team. However, everyone understood: the transition of Goncharenko to a stronger championship is only a matter of time. And so it happened. However, the young specialist intended to leave BATE, once again slamming the door loudly.
Rejecting the offer of Moscow Lokomotiv, in 2011, for the second time in his career, he managed to bring the modest Belarusian club to the group stage of the Champions League. The football community gave modest forecasts regarding the fate of the Belarusian champion, but the BATE triumphantly denied them. In the second coming to the group stage of the main European team trophy, for the first time in its history, the club from Borisov was able to leave the group. The next season, the team began to decline again, and Goncharenko realized that he had exhausted his resources in his homeland.
Victor Goncharenko, coach of Kuban: the beginning of a career in Russia
The specialist realized that in the previous championship his club had practically no competitors. In the new league, he will have to face stiff competition, and he will not have to expect titles yet. Despite the ambitions of the Krasnodar club, he is unlikely to compete on equal terms with recognized giants - Zenit and CSKA. However, Goncharenko showed the result. What is only the nine-match series without defeats at the beginning of the 2014-2015 season.
Despite a quick start, the current 5th place in the championship and bright prospects in the fight for the top three, the ambitious leadership of the club decided to fire the Belarusian specialist right in the middle of the season. The wording of the termination of the contract was beyond reasonable. The owners of the Kuban felt that the club’s head coach was not strict enough with his wards.
Coaching career in the Urals
In the summer of 2015, Goncharenko headed the Yekaterinburg Ural, but this time he could not stay in the team until the end of the season. This time he left the club for personal reasons, not agreeing with the leadership in the views on the further development of the team from Yekaterinburg. At the same time, rumors leaked about the disagreement of Viktor Goncharenko with his club taking part in contractual games.