“FIFA is a dead discipline”: Bakaev Jr. on his preference for CS:GO, the benefits of the Media League and departure from the RPL

— In October 2022, you organized the BakS Cup esports tournament, which was attended by many famous Russian football players.

How did you come up with the idea?

“Initially, I didn’t plan to do this.

But at one point, the guys who help with the development of my eSports organization asked for financial help with holding a small tournament in mobile games.

I allocated funds, looked at how it all works.

And at some point an idea came to my mind - why not do something similar, but with the players?

I know a lot of guys who do this in their free time and would be happy to compete with each other.

Plus, I remembered the period when all sports championships were suspended due to the coronavirus, and people were forced to stay at home.

Then there were also CS:GO competitions.

It was very interesting.

We ended up with a big tournament.

I can proudly say that we were the first to do this in Russia.

Although now many are trying to organize their own analogues of the Media League.

— Russian football also has its own Media League, which is very popular.

— Yes, this example inspired me a lot.

I wanted to create something similar, but within the framework of eSports.

— Do you follow the football Medialiga yourself?

- To be honest, not really.

But I regularly stumble upon news about her.

From this I conclude that at the moment it has great popularity in our country.

— In your opinion, is the existence of the Medialiga beneficial for the development of football in Russia?

Yes, the successes of the conditional Amkal and 2DROTS in the Cup caused a solid response, but is it really that good?

- I asked the same question and came to the conclusion that this is rather a plus.

Mostly in the Medialeague are those who have not made it to the base in professional teams.

And for them it is a chance to express themselves.

Look at Mikhail Prokopiev, who recently signed a contract with the Bulgarian Botev.

This is an amazing example of how a person from a semi-amateur championship can break into a serious club.

And in this case there are parallels.

I have been watching Counter Strike competitions since childhood, I always wanted to participate in a tournament of this magnitude.

Probably, in many respects that is why he organized the BakS Cup.

And Medialiga is a great chance for these guys, bloggers, to feel the atmosphere of big football.

In the same Cup of Russia.

I am sincerely happy for those who managed to open up, show themselves and get on the pencil not only to local, but also to European clubs.

- Most of the players participating in the championship represent Russian teams, but there are also foreign players.

The same Alexander Golovin, Artyom Dzyuba, Alexander Kokorin.

How difficult was it to negotiate with them?

- It was not difficult.

The guys liked the idea, they were ready to help.

The problem was that they represent teams from different leagues and countries, each has its own schedule.

Plus logistical issues.

Now many airports are closed, as a result of which many have to spend a lot of time on the road.

We compiled the first version of the calendar, and a few days later we learned about the reform of the Russian Cup.

And the next stage fell on the day of the BakS Cup.

I had to hastily redo everything, find out who and when comes to the matches.

After all, after that you completely concentrate on football and can no longer think about anything else.

In fact, it was very difficult to adapt to everyone.

55 people participated in the tournament, 32 of them were football players.

And it was necessary to make sure that everyone was comfortable.

But in addition to professional, there are also vital factors.

There may be some problems in the family or something else.

Several times the matches could not take place at all.

But we still managed.

And now everyone is asking when they can play each other again.

It is most important.

But the solution of all these difficulties requires a huge amount of time.

Did it interfere with your career?

- Not.

There is free time that I can spend on other things.

Besides, I was not the only one involved in the Winline BakS Cup, I had a big team.

Don't think that I alone made a calendar, negotiated with people, developed a design.

Of course, I helped with some points, but it took 30 - 60 minutes.

— Perhaps it was Kokorin who was the most famous CS:GO player among Russian football players for a long time.

Is he really that good?

We played each other in the midst of a pandemic.

I can say that then Kokorin really looked very cool.

Now he was on a big break.

He didn't practice for a long time.

And I couldn't take part in the tournament because of problems with the Internet.

Therefore, it is difficult to say in what form he is now.

- In your opinion, who is the best player in Counter Strike among the players?

— I think statistics will answer this question better.

Ruslan Litvinov from Spartak showed himself best of all.

Behind him is my Oi Boi teammate Evgeniy Markov.

The third was Artemy Pletnev, and the fourth, to my surprise, was my brother.

Why did Zelimkhan's success come as such a surprise to you?

“I did not expect such a bright performance from him.

The victory of his Wild Division team indicates that he is better than me not only in football, but also in eSports.

- Before that, you took over him?

- I had a strong opinion that I was stronger than him in this.

But the tournament showed the opposite.

And this is the best indicator.

Of course, this doesn't bother me in any way.

On the contrary, it is very pleasant.

So my brother has great skills not only in sports, but also in CS.

- Many people probably expect that football players prefer the closer FIFA to them over all kinds of shooters.

This kind of simulation does not appeal to you?

— I had such an experience.

But to be honest, FIFA is a dead discipline.

I see no reason to organize championships on it.

Why do you have such a low opinion of FIFA?

- Few tournaments are held on it, there are a lot of bugs in the game and they are not going to “repair” it.

Every year old problems remain, new ones appear.

Besides, I myself like CS:GO much more.

What FIFA series did you last play?

- FIFA 22. The new one could not be tested.

Electronic Arts has left the Russian market, so there is no way to purchase it.

Perhaps this is more of a plus than a minus.

You don’t have to spend money on buying players, opening packs.

- As far as I understand, it was The Ultimate Team mode that attracted you.

— Of course, it is interesting to assemble your own team.

- But it's expensive.

- Naturally, this is the main disadvantage.

— What is the record amount you have spent on buying loot boxes in FIFA.

- It is hard to say.

Somewhere 5 - 10 thousand rubles.

Considering how much others are investing, you are quite frugal.

— Honestly, I'm surprised how much some people squander in FIFA.

And what's the point?

A year later, a new series will be released, and all the funds spent will remain in the previous one.

At one point I thought about it.

Apparently, over the years I grow up, wiser.

- As I understand it, you are interested in multiplayer online games.

What about singles?

- No, it's not mine.

Once I tried myself in this, but quickly abandoned it.

There is no one to compete with.

I'm interested in playing with a live person.

- In 2020, the media spread the news that Kokorin, when he was playing for Spartak, played CS: GO until half past four in the morning.

And this is a day before the game with Dynamo in the RPL.

Have you ever spent too much time online and missed workouts?

- Never.

I don't spend much time on it.

I can spend a maximum of an hour or two a day.

There is a regime, it must be observed.

As a professional, I remain.

Nothing can stop me in this regard.

For example, I turn off my computer or laptop three hours before bedtime.

Yes, I can use my phone, but I wear special glasses.

They not only protect against radiation, but also allow you to fall asleep.

- At the last BakS Cup, you reached the final, but lost to the team of Zelimkhan Bakaev.

It is clear that defeats in football are perceived more difficult, but how easy is it to survive failures in eSports?

- If you have the character of a winner since childhood, then in any case you will be upset because of the defeat.

Regardless of what we are talking about - sports, computer or card games.

I'm sure no athlete likes to give in.

In the final of the BakS Cup, I could not succeed, I was sad for about ten minutes and was fine again.

In football, everything is perceived much sharper.

You can leave for a few days.

- How difficult was it to recover after the defeat from Ufa in the 30th round of the last RPL season?

— It was very hard.

He was very worried and for a long time could not ignore this.

But it's moments like these that make you stronger.

You are aware of all the responsibility.

In a good way, this should not have happened to us.

But if it happened, you need to come to terms with it and live for today.

- Was it the most difficult moment in your career?

- I think yes.

There were injuries that put me out of action for several months, but this defeat was the most severe.

We have let down a lot of people.

You can lose a match, win the next one, and everything is fine.

Here you not only lost, you flew out of the league.

And it is very difficult to realize this.

Especially for someone like me who doesn't like to lose.

Basically, you screwed up the whole season.

It hurts.

— You must have talked with your brother after the finals of the CS:GO tournament.

What did he say to you

- There was no such conversation.

I just congratulated him on his victory, wished him good night and went to bed.

- You and Zelimkhan have come a long way together.

Both trained at the Spartak Academy, played for the youth team, the main team.

But then your paths parted.

Now you represent Rubin, Zelimkhan represents Zenit.

How closely do you communicate lately?

“I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but we don’t talk that often.

We are completely focused on work and see no point in calling up every day if nothing new happens in life.

But we stay in touch and share news once or twice a week.

- If we talk about future prospects, how do you plan to develop the BakS Cup in the future

- We plan to either hold the second season in the same format, or arrange a competition with the participation of professional teams.

For this we have all the conditions.

We will see if this is possible in 2022.

Still, soon there will be a break in the championship, the guys go on vacation.

Qatar will host the World Cup during the winter break.

Are you going to follow the World Cup and who do you consider the main favorite?

— I would not like to talk about France.

For some reason it seems to me that Belgium should go very far.

This is a very strong team that has been performing at a high level for many years, but for one reason or another, has not achieved success either at the World Cup or Europe.

I think this time luck may smile on them.

- But the Belgians have serious problems in defense.

Many stars have aged, some have completely retired.

- Understand.

But for some reason I believe in them.

There are many outstanding performers in their lineup.

And if young talents are added to them, then they will have a chance to go far.