"You have devoted all your life to us, so we will never forget it!"

Yesterday, in Kiev, in Dinamo stadium, thousands of people bided farewell to a great person – football-player and trainer Valery Lobanovsky. In the stadium, there were Ukrainian officials, Russian delegation of trainers, friends and beloved ones of Valery Lobanovsky, foreign and native journalists. Huge photographs of Valery Lobanovsky were put up in the stadium, numerous adorers of Lobanovsky’s football talent have been bringing flowers to that photographs for recent two days. According to football club Dinamo Kiev cite, the family and the club receives condolence letters from all over the world. While the day before yesterday, participants of final match of Champions’ League did homage to the late trainer by a minute of silence. Now, the Dinamo stadium in Kiev will bear the name of Lobanovsky.

Remembering the football genius Sergei Yuran, football-player: “Playing for Kiev Dinamo team, I became the USSR champion and made a name, and I am grateful for it to Lobanovsky and my ex-fellow-players. I would like one more time to thank Lobanovsky, Romantsev because they helped me to achieve certain success in football and life. Though, that are different trainers: they differently regard many things, and first of all football. Lobanovsky from Kiev Dinamo was my first stage, which allowed to me to step further. Lobanovsky did much good to me. I am now even grateful to him that he once has sent me to the army for two months – to temper my spirits, however at that time I could not understand why the trainer had not released the football-player who was so necessary for him from military service.” Gerard Oulier, trainer of British Liverpool FC: “Lobanovsky is one of the leading specialists of Europe, a great expert of practice and theory of football. I am acquainted with his ideas very well and I am the old adorer of his trainer talent. His hobbyhorse is a fast, attacking football. In his time, Lobanovsky was a pioneer in analysis of statistical figures… His ideas inspired many tutors. I read many of his works and got a great pleasure from it. I was especially impressed by the chapters about the role of rapidity in football.”

“Valery Lobanovsky is in our hearts” (From the speeches of trainers, players, and workers of Kiev Dinamo club) “Valery Lobanovsky is a great representative of the world football, the most outstanding trainer star of Soviet and modern history. While playing football, he showed a filigree technics, his fans even created legends about his “dry leaf.” He was an outstanding figure in the star staff of Kiev Dinamo which became the USSR champion for the first time in 1961. Fans from Donetsk, Moscow, Lvov, Tbilisi, Odessa, Yerevan, and other cities of the Soviet Union were adorers of football talent of this native Kiev citizen. The world fame came to trainer Lobanovsky as a result of the successes of the teams he trained. With Kiev Dimamo Valery Lobanovsky won 2 Cup Winners’ Cups and UEFA Super-Cup, 8 USSR championships, 6 USSR Cups, 5 Ukrainian championships, 3 Cups of Ukraine. Under Lobanovsky’s leadership, USSR national team became vice-champion of Europe and bronze prize winner of Olympic Games. Valery Lobanovsky’s contribution to football were awarded with UEFA Ruby Order, while in his motherland he was awarded with Labour Red Banner order, Sign of Honour and For Deserves of Second Degree orders. Outstanding persons remain in human memory such as they were when they achieved their biggest successes. Valery Lobanovsky will always be an example of self-denying service to his cause to which he gave himself completely. Lobanovsky will always be for us, his colleagues, pupils, and compatriots, an example of overcoming of troubles and achieving the purpose. Valery Lobanovsky is dead. We cannot completely realize the scope of this loss. Our hearts are full of sorrow. This very tragic minute, we express deep condolence to Lobanvsky’s relatives. Farewell, master!”

From the speeches of fans: “Everything has changed abruptly… The epoch of a person, of a trainer. What a great person that was! Thanks to you for your having been so, for your will, energy, wish and capability to win. Your cause is alive: you have left a great print scant, your cause which will be continued with others.” “Thank you very much, Valery! You have devoted all your life to us, and we will never forget it! You taught us to be proud of our country and of our football! We were with you in the stadium, we cried with you from happiness or sorrow, and now we have been left without you. We will try to be worthy of you, Great Trainer and Great Person!”

Sergei Stefanov PRAVDA.Ru After materials of the cite of FC Dinamo Kiev

Translated be Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/05/16/41204.html