“The right to choose where to play next”: why Vyakhireva’s departure to the Norwegian club caused a mixed reaction in Russia

"She's a neat, proper girl"

The signing of Anna Vyakhireva with the Vipers was a big surprise in a pleasant sense of the word.

It seemed that in the current realities, the transition of domestic athletes to the leading European leagues can be forgotten, but the example of the Olympic champion showed the opposite.

Moreover, in the Norwegian club, introducing the newcomer, they did not regret flattering epithets.

For example, a Russian woman was named one of the best handball players on the planet.

And according to the team's head coach Ole Gustav Jekstad, she has exceptional individual skills and is able to close several positions.

Meanwhile, the specialist did not hide: negotiations with Vyakhireva were not easy for the current owners of the Champions League for political reasons.

“We consulted with the Norwegian Handball Association, our sponsors, politicians and many other people.

And got positive feedback from everyone.

This was our opinion, but we tried to check it properly ... She is a neat, correct girl.

I have no doubts about this, although there may be many opinions, we did not trust only our own intuition, ”the VG specialist quotes.

According to him, Vipers reached out to the athlete even before the start of the special operation, but a more detailed discussion began after the victory in the Champions League in early June.

Jekstad believes that Vyakhireva can become an excellent replacement for the two-time world champion Nora Merk in the right welterweight position, and the legendary goalkeeper Katrin Lunde, who played with the Russian woman for Rostov-Don, should help her adapt.

Vyakhireva has been playing for the team from Rostov-on-Don since 2016 and during this period she won all possible internal trophies.

She is a four-time champion of Russia and a five-time winner of the Cup and Super Cup of the country.

But she failed to take the European Cup together with the southerners.

In 2019, the domestic team got to the decisive confrontation of the Champions League, but lost to the Hungarian Gyor ETO - 24:25.

And in 2018, the team was defeated in the semi-finals of the tournament.

In Norway, Anna is able to close this gap in her career, because Vipers excelled in the last two Champions League draws and is currently unrivaled on the continent.

Also, the wards of Jekstad, starting from the 2017/18 season, are invincible in their country.

During this time they have five times excelled in the championship and the Cup.

And the lineup includes world handball stars: Lunde, Yana Knedlikova, Ana Debelich, Heidi Löke and others.

Next to such partners, Vyakhireva, who has never played outside of Russia before, is able to seriously add.

At the same time, the athlete only played the first match in March after a long pause, which she took at the end of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

And back in May, she admitted that she was thinking about whether to continue her career.

“Of course, I want to play at the top level, but this year we have the opportunity to show it only at the home arena, which we managed to do.

It's okay, ”said Vyakhireva.

According to Turkish media, Bucharest also wanted to see a Russian woman in its ranks.

The Romanian club, allegedly, was even ready to offer her the highest salary in women's handball - € 20 thousand. But she chose the stronger Vipers.

“Let them take offense at me, but I condemn such actions”

The transition of one of the brightest handball players on the planet to the strongest team in Europe was generally reacted positively in Russia.

However, there were those who were dissatisfied with her act.

So, his former mentor of Anna in the women's team of the country, Yevgeny Trefilov, did not understand.

He lamented that the attitude of domestic athletes towards their homeland “became spitting”, and as an example he cited the aforementioned Lunde, which, in the opposite situation, would probably have remained in Norway.

“Let them take offense at me, but I condemn such actions, I think people did wrong.

You may remember Alexander Ovechkin and Vyacheslav Fetisov, but I have a formed opinion on this issue, and, as one person said, I do not change my gait.

In our country, the tree was shaken a little, all the wormy apples fell from it - great artists and other guys who made money here went to other countries, ”the legendary TASS specialist quotes.

In his opinion, all those who are now leaving for good conditions in other countries, when they feel bad, will still return to their homeland.

But the former head coach of the Russian men's team, Vladimir Maksimov, was not so critical.

He, on the contrary, urged to be happy for the handball player, because she achieved a lot with her work, and did not see anything wrong with her departure to Norway.

“The transition of Vyakhireva to Vipers should be treated as an element of professional sports.

This is her job.

A person has devoted many years to handball and has the right to choose where to play next.

Anna has been playing for Rostov-Don since 2016, and now she decided to try her hand at Europe.

I think she just wants a new experience.

Plus, together with the Norwegian team, she can win the Champions League.

Of course, we would like the domestic team to win this trophy, but in the current realities, this, alas, is unlikely, ”the specialist said in an interview with RT.

Maksimov expressed confidence that money is clearly not the issue here, since the Olympic champion could certainly earn no less in Rostov-Don than in Vipers.

He called the more obvious reason for the departure of the athlete not the highest level of opposition in the national championship, where only CSKA is able to impose a fight on the southerners.

“In fact, they play only a few high-level matches in a season.

The rest are significantly inferior to them in the class.

Anna will have more such meetings in Norway.

This will only help her get in shape and maintain a high level of skill, ”added Maksimov.

He also stressed that in handball the attitude towards Russians is not as negative as in football and recalled two players of the Russian national team, Sergei Mark Kosorotov and Dmitry Zhitnikov, who continue to play for the Polish Wisla.

“We often say that sport is out of politics, but this is far from always the case.

However, I am sure that in this case everything will determine the result.

If the Vipers remain invincible, believe me, no one will remember that Vyakhireva came from Russia, ”summed up the coach.

Positively reacted to the departure of Vyakhireva to Norway and the president of the Russian Handball Federation Sergey Shishkarev.

According to the functionary, it would be unfair to deprive an athlete in adulthood of the opportunity to prove herself in the international arena.

He also expressed the hope that the Olympic champion will become a kind of ambassador of friendship in the new country.

“Unfortunately, recently it is the Norwegian sports functionaries who allow themselves incorrect statements about Russia.

However, I am sure that there are no such sentiments among professional athletes and coaches, and Vyakhireva will become an ambassador of friendship, an ambassador of Russian handball.

I wish Anya to shine in the international arena and win all the tournaments in which she will participate.

We will all root for her, worry and rejoice.

Do not forget that Vyakhireva remains the leader of the Russian national team, ”the official website of the FGR quotes Shishkarev as saying.