Translation difficulties: what the Brazilian Akhmat football players who are on self-isolation in Chechnya say

“I don’t speak Russian at all”

The coronavirus pandemic put athletes in a difficult position, because most of the time they have to be at home without the ability to exercise normally. But heavier than the rest - the legionnaires, who for one reason or another did not have time to return to their homeland.

Among the foreign players who remained in Russia are three Brazilians from Akhmat: Ismael Silva, Ravanelli and Felipe Viseu. At the last moment, they tried to fly home, but did not have time to buy tickets for the flight, since the last plane left on March 30, the football players themselves told the Brazilian edition of Folha de S. Paulo.

According to them, they turned to the consular department of the Brazilian embassy in Moscow, but there they could not help them.

“The embassy said that we need to wait and that in which case they will contact us. But time is running out, ”said Ravanelli.

The football season in Russia was interrupted on March 17, but training continued and the club informed the players about their termination on March 29, Folha de S. Paulo notes. That is, the day before the closure of Russian borders and before the last flight to Brazil took place. The plane, which the Russian government sent to return its citizens from South America, took on board Brazilians who wanted to return to their homeland, the publication explained.

Ravanelli said that the Brazilians in Grozny are in isolation, as recommended by the government, in addition, a curfew has been introduced throughout Chechnya. In this regard, according to the football player, he and his countrymen will not be able to go outside even in the event of some unforeseen circumstances, since when they meet with the police they simply will not be able to explain that something unexpected happened.

Viseu complained about this, rented by Akhmat from the Italian Udinese. The attacker said that once, when he went to the grocery store, the police stopped him to find out where and why the athlete was heading.

“The point is not that I do not speak Russian well. I don’t speak Russian at all. How to explain? ”, - the forward is perplexed.

“We know that the situation in Brazil is turbulent, but at least this is our home, and if something happens, we will at least be close to our families. And in Grozny we are alone. The club dismissed the players before the end of April, and we will be able to return to training at best in May, ”said Viseu. At the same time, it is worth noting that he has a easier time than his partners, because he is in Russia with his wife and child.

At the same time, all three players emphasized that they are calm from a financial point of view, as in Grozny they continue to receive full wages.

View this Instagram post

Nesse momento que todos nos estamos vivendo, o que mais importa é ter sabedoria e ser obediente, sabemos do que precisamos fazer pra que esse pesadelo passe logo. Assim como eu estou em casa com meu filho, minha esposa. Peço pra que todos tenham essa consciência e saibam que ficar em casa não é ficar atoa, ficar em casa nesse momento é o nosso remédio, é a nossa cura, é a cura do nosso país e do nosso MUNDO 🌍. O que puderem fazer para se proteger, façam. Isso não é vergonha, e sim uma atitude que pode mudar tudo isso que temos vivido. Não é legal pra ninguém ficarem trancados, não ver restaurantes abertos, os parquinhos sem ter uma criança sequer. Isso que estamos vivendo é muito triste! Por isso digo, depende muito dos nossos atos pra que isso acabe de uma vez por todas. Sejamos fortes e que nunca perdemos a nossa fé em Deus e em Cristo Jesus 🙏🙌🏻 #hometeam #adidas @adidas @valentinvizeu

Publication by Felipe Vizeu (@ vizeu9) Mar 27, 2020 at 4:26 pm PDT

“In Grozny, I live peacefully with my family”

The interview did not go unnoticed by the fans of the team, and some of them considered the words of the Brazilians an exaggeration. At the same time, one of the heroes of the material - Viseu - hastened to call the words published on his behalf "untruth." Moreover, for subscribers, the Brazilian specially prepared a post in Russian.

“After two of my live Instagram videos, an interview was published in one Russian publishing house, allegedly on my behalf, saying that I and my family are uncomfortable in Grozny due to the spread of coronavirus infection. In my live, on the contrary, I said that I live peacefully in Grozny with my family, that we feel safe here. Everything written in this interview is not true. Since I joined Akhmat, Grozny has become my second home. Thanks everyone! Hug! Felipe Viseu. “Akhmat” is power! ” - wrote the forward.

In the club, in turn, all that was said by the legionnaires was attributed to the difficulties of translation. The leadership of Grozny noted that although Brazilians, like other players of the team, have to stay at home because of quarantine, they are regularly in touch with an interpreter who can help them with a trip to a pharmacy or a store.

Akhmat administrator Rodolfo spoke a little more about the situation, who also planned to return home with the team players. However, he finds it much easier than his compatriots, because a native of Santos has performed in Ukraine and Russia for more than ten years and knows a good language. His last team was Akhmat. Having finished his career in 2019, Rodolfo switched to work in the club’s coaching staff. According to him, in terms of security in Chechnya, everything is in order.

“The problem is happening all over the world, and not just here or in Moscow. Everything is fine with us, we are in quarantine. Does curfew bother you? We can do everything in the afternoon. Those who work also have a certain time for everything. You just can’t walk. In order to buy products, there is also no problem - we have two stores nearby, ”the Sport24 administrator quotes.

Rodolfo said that he really wanted to return to Brazil, but did not have time to do this because of the closure of the borders. At home, a family is waiting for him.

“They wanted to go home and did not have time. Of course, in my thoughts it was, but that's okay. I believe that in this situation, health is more important. Of course, we are uncomfortable, bored, but this is force majeure. We can’t do anything. Is it hard without a family? It's hard for everyone. We have not only Brazilians, but also Venezuelans cannot go home. The Africans did not have time either. In Lokomotiv Murilo, for example, did not have time to go home. This is not only with us, but everywhere, ”the Brazilian added.

He only noted that it is not easy for football players to sit at home without training.

However, many legionnaires still managed to leave Russia. So, on April 1, news appeared in the media that the Moscow Spartak dismissed all the foreign players of the team home. In particular, for the midfielder from the Netherlands, Guus Thiel, the club rented a plane on which he reached Berlin.

But the Sochi legionnaires were forced to stay in Russia, including world champion Adil Rami, who had not yet made his debut for the Southerners. In an interview, the Frenchman said that because of the pandemic of the coronavirus, he was forced to move from the hotel to the apartment, where he manages to conduct two workouts per day.

“Now, of course, it’s not easy for me. In addition, I am far from children and families. But in general, everything is in order, I'm already used to it. We are here also on self-isolation. I lived in a hotel, but yesterday it closed, I had to look for an apartment. There are plenty of cases, an occupation can always be found, there is a PlayStation, there are social networks ... There is nothing to complain about. In life, in any situation I try to find something positive, ”Sports Express quotes Rami.

At the same time, the Frenchman was delighted with Sochi. Most of all in the city he was surprised by the proximity of the sea to the snow-capped mountains, which can be reached in just half an hour. I liked Adil and the new team stadium in Adler.