In an interview for bTV with Petar Bakardzhiev, the personal coach of our Olympic wrestling champion Semen Novikov - Soslan Farniev, threatened to take the matter to the International Court of Justice and the IOC.
The Russian specialist is adamant that he and Novikov continue to seek dialogue with the federation, but "they will not fall at their feet and will not beg them".
- Mr. Farniev, can you understand what it says there, on that sign? It says: "If I had not come to Teteven, I would also have been a foreigner in mother Bulgaria? Ivan Vazov wrote it, one of the greatest Bulgarian writers...
- We do not consider ourselves foreigners, because we are citizens of Bulgaria. We stand behind Bulgaria, we fight for Bulgaria, we raise the flag of Bulgaria. We work here, we live here. We do not come from time to time, but we are here all the time. Now we are at a camp after the state championship. We are preparing and we do not consider ourselves foreigners.
- Yes, but your athletes are here. And the federation... does Ms. Stanka Zlateva and Mr. Stoyan Dobrev want them at the centralized camp?
- I want to say one thing. When the new management took over the federation, when the new management introduced the new rules for centralized training, I personally contacted Stoyan Dobrev. I congratulated him on his appointment as a selector and told him that I wanted to work together. I started this communication. Novikov talked to Stanka Zlateva. But what are they telling us? You have to come - Milov, Novikov, Dzabiev and all the other wrestlers from CSKA for centralized training. The wrestlers said: "Okay, we don't mind. We will come, but we want our personal trainers to come with us". But the federation categorically forbade us, their personal trainers, to attend. That is, I am a Bulgarian citizen, I officially work at CSKA, but I can't attend the training of my graduate, with whom I have been working for years? Can't I be next to him and help him? And naturally, what followed was that the boys rose up, rebelled, a division occurred. I want to note the following: I personally went to Stoyan Dobrev and gave him a hand to work together. Not to interfere in his work, he is the selector. If you want centralized work, we will come, just let us, the trainers, in. To help our wrestlers from CSKA. And what did they do? They nailed the entrance to the hall, locked rooms and premises. The state championship was held, and it was shameful to watch. Shameful, because of the refereeing, because of the attitude. If I were a coach, I would never allow such an attitude towards Olympic, world and European champions.
- What do you mean - the judges were intolerant towards them?
- Intolerance is a weak word. The refereeing was terrible. If these fights were sent to the World Wrestling Federation, I am 101% sure that these judges would have been punished. However, we managed despite all this. We became team champions of Bulgaria. CSKA became champions without Milov, without Dzabiev, without two of the leaders. We showed results, we showed class. These are professionals who do their job. Novikov spoke to Stanka Zlateva again.
We wanted to know what was next. He was told that if they did not train centrally, they would not participate in the world championships. The wrestlers said that there was no problem. We would not participate in the world championships. We are currently holding a camp with Cuba, together with the five-time Olympic champion Lopez, who is here.
We also have a plan B, in which we will go to a camp in America, we will also participate in tournaments overseas. And when our country needs us, we will be ready. At this stage, we understand that Bulgaria does not need us from the attitude shown by the Federation towards wrestlers who raised the flag of Bulgaria at the highest level. This policy is incorrect and ugly. It is against sports.
- They are world athletes and you can hardly motivate them to train only for republican championships and miss major forums. At some point they will probably give up...
- These are not children and little boys, these are men. These are personalities, understand this, personalities. Olympic, world, European champions, big people who have families, children. Forcing them by force is wrong in every sense of the word. And in every free world. Not to mention that I don't see it being followed by everyone. There are freestyle wrestlers who train in clubs with their personal trainers.
- Do you mean that in freestyle wrestling some of the wrestlers are not trained?
- Some of the wrestlers do not prepare centrally, and this is the same federation, isn't it? Freestyle, classic style, women. This is the same federation and the same rules. However, the rules do not apply to freestyle, but to classic they do. So what is being done here is harassment of athletes. What do they want to achieve with this? Probably what they want to achieve is to subjugate the boys. This will not happen. Another important point: We talked to Dobrev. I explained the situation. We had a good conversation, polite. I explained the situation. He tells me that this is a decision of the federation. Novikov talks to Stanka Zlateva. She says that this is Dobrev's decision. Then we ask Dobrev again, and he says that this is a decision of the Board of Directors. And so it goes one after another, one after another, one after another. They cannot understand each other, what they want. About thirty days ago, Novikov sent a letter to the post office and to Stanka Zlateva's email. He asked for the selection criteria for the national team. There are no criteria, there is no answer.
The boys ask a question. A month and a half has passed since the European Championship, which had three finals. There has not been such a result in 24 years. The boys have not yet been paid their state bonuses from the European Championship.
- They have not been paid?
- No, they have not been paid their state bonuses after the European Championship. The state has not paid. They barely contacted Milov, and a month and a half or two months have passed. He should record his training so that he can be paid. No one calls Novikov. Novikov calls himself, asks questions, wants to receive his well-deserved award, the bonus, for another medal that he brought to Bulgaria. This is the attitude here towards us and towards the wrestlers. Well, I want to say that after this whole situation, after the Bulgarian championship, Dobrev had the floor. Dobrev said, we want this decision, but this is the federation's decision and they are pushing for it to be so. And the federation is hiding and saying that this is Dobrev's decision. But in short: They told us that we will not participate in the world championship. We are ready for this. There is no problem at all.
We will see who will participate and who will bring medals to the country. There are no question marks on this issue. But three months before the world championship, I am the person who sought a way and communication with them. To hear that the coaches do not have the right to be in the hall next to their graduates. The coach of Novikov, Milov, Dzabiev is not allowed in the hall.
- Maybe they are worried that you will not be complete, you will not be correct?
- In no country, in no country is there a ban, that they do not let you in. Here, to have a graduate who is No. 1 and who is preparing for the European, for the World Championships, there is no country in which the coach is banned from entering the gym. Is this democracy? Is this the European Union in Bulgaria? Sport and democracy are not compatible.
But what is happening here at this moment, I don't know how to call it. This is shame in one word.
- You are a good coach. Why do you continue to stay in Bulgaria despite everything that is happening to you? Why don't you go to Russia or somewhere where you can work?
- I am a Bulgarian citizen, I am a citizen of this country, I live here, I have an apartment here, I receive a salary from CSKA, I work here. I moved here to live and I will work here for the good of the club, for the good of my wrestlers and boys. I have my graduates here who train with me. I don't force anyone. I don't put handcuffs on anyone to make them sit here and train by force. I always help anyone who wants to work.
If it is necessary to work together with the national team, we are ready to communicate. But not under such conditions that they create. Not to let you into the hall, to harass you. Okay, I will ask one such question. Kiril Milov has a child, 27 years old, a big man. Centralized training means that this person spends 220 days a year in one hall, in Dianabad, to just stand there and train. So he has children, a wife, a family. What does he work for?
For his family, for his country. Is it really the most correct thing to be in centralized training all the time? Who will answer this question? But the worst thing is that there are some rules, but not for everyone. These rules are against the wrestlers of CSKA. So that they can not go to the world championship. And we have four people from CSKA under 20 who were selected, but they are from CSKA: Dzabiev, Grisha Nazaryan, Radoslav Vassilev and Andrey Tanasov. I will explain myself, I am ashamed. 96 kg Bulgarian Radoslav Vassilev, 130 kg Alan Dzabiev, a Bulgarian citizen, he lives here, the first country he fights in. Dzabiev brought Bulgaria's only medal this year at the European Youth Championship under 20 in Serbia.
- Just because they are CSKA wrestlers?
- Yes, because they are CSKA wrestlers. They just make them, they don't expose them and that's all. One more time. There is one team, 10 people, age up to 20.
There is Alyosha Iliev, the boy. But in 96 kg and 130 kg, where the participant could have put some Bulgarian for experience, they don't put anyone because there is no one to put. But they are only CSKA wrestlers. And these people say that we develop sports, we develop youth. What is the fault of Radoslav Vassilev, who is 17 years old? What is the fault of Alan Dzabiev, who is 18 years old? Apart from training, raising the flag of Bulgaria, glorifying the country, they have not done anything good for this country. They live for this. They are Bulgarian citizens, boys. What wrong have they done?
But there is pressure on the under-20 team, which we take out. They think that the men will also run there. And the boys are the embodiment of the collective. The boys simply rallied because of these moments. But the most important moment, understand again. And all this will be considered while we prepare for the camps, the international camps, all this will be considered by lawyers.
There must be an adequate plan for the training process. There must be selection criteria for international tournaments. But there are none. Even now there are none.
Recently there was an international tournament in Romania. The Bulgarian Wrestling Federation refused an application for participation in the international tournament in Romania by our wrestlers on behalf of Bulgaria. But our wrestlers went there and fought on behalf of CSKA. But at the international tournament they don't say CSKA, Levski, Vratsa. They say: Bulgaria. That's all. They don't look at the club. And we took first place in the general team standings in Romania.
The federation put everything on the website that we had won, that we were champions. We won 160 points. Of these, 65-70 points were taken by the CSKA team, which sent Grisha Ganchev at its own expense. If these athletes had not participated there, the Bulgarian team would have taken sixth team place. And now they are bragging to everyone, showing people that we took first team place. Without mentioning that these athletes were not sent or financed by them. Not only did they win all the fights on behalf of Bulgaria, but also the entire tournament. But these same wrestlers are not worthy to fight on behalf of Bulgaria at the world championship.
This is the attitude of the federation. What more do we have to say? We are looking for dialogue and communication, and they want us to fall at their feet. To beg them. We will not do it. There are lawyers, there is the International Olympic Committee, there is the World Wrestling Federation, there is the International Court of Justice, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who will deal with this issue. And all we have to do is wait and work. To be in shape and ready. Because the biggest goal is not the World Championship, but the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.