Andrei Arshavin to leave Arsenal FC

Hello, this is Gia Saralidze for VK. As usual, in this studio we are talking about football. Perhaps one of the most interesting but not most prominent events in the football world was the information that Andrei Arshavin may leave Arsenal FC and rejoin Zenit St. Petersburg. There are a lot of different opinions on this issue. Some people say that this is a charity action from Gazprom who supported Arshavin in need for his previous successes and provided him a contract, given that Andrei himself said several months ago that he would like not to give up his career and not to go away defeated. Perhaps he is one of our football players who receive the largest share of criticism. Football players get already used to lots of harsh criticism from different sides. Even in panel games our football teams are often mentioned. The fans do the same thing, especially after the last European Championships. But Andrei Arshavin is distinguished even against this background, though before he was one of favorite players of the Russian fans, including women. But a number of his statements on the team turned him into an “enfant terrible” of the Russian football. I recall that Andrei Arshavin has recently played for Arsenal. There were different moments in his career: there were ups when he scored four goals in a game and enjoyed the support of the English media and fans. But he did not meet all the expectations of experts and fans. The criticism by English press and fans was mostly due to the fact that he did not do his best on the pitch. I have read the guestbooks where the Arsenal FC fans express their opinion. Of course, Arshavin was mostly criticized, including by the media. The Russian fans also criticize Archavin, though, perhaps, both the Zenit FC fans and the fans of the Russian national team have a lot of reasons to thank Arshavin. But fans are rarely grateful. If we talk about the transition itself, it is hard to imagine that Andrei who has been completely out of his shape even in Arsenal FC, though he has never been agile, but he has always been quit smart and knew how to analyze the situation on the pitch. Now he has become even slower and looked like a veteran of the pitch, including because of 10 kg of overweight. It is hard to imagine his rise now, even in a new club. Nevertheless, this time I would like to agree with Zenit FC. Perhaps it is necessary to support Arshavin, and this opportunity is deserved for him. It is not known whether he will use it properly or not. I think this is a matter of honor for him. There are two groups of people with opposite opinions now. The first group thinks that the contract between Arshavin and Zenit FC is a good opportunity for him. The second group thinks that this is just burial with all due honors, because Arshavin cannot get any money abroad now. Indeed, he received much money for warming the bench. Time and Arshavin’s play will tell who is right here. We should only wait for the future. I would also like to say that Arshavin had to solve not only football problems but also personal troubles. He has parted from his wife and has to get involved in a divorce suit and division of property. As far as I know, according to the U. K. law, he may lose a lion’s share of his property. Of course, this affects his feeling, including on the pitch. We shall see how he will overcome this. I would like to once again express my personal opinion: another chance should be given to Arshavin. If he does not manage or does not want to use it, his critics will be right, and we’ll have to join them. Let us hope that this is not so. That’s all, see you in the studio of VK; next time we’ll once again discuss world and Russian football.