Coach Valery Ovchinnikov noted that leaders of several Russian football clubs were hesitant to collaborate with former Paris Nizhny Novgorod head Alexander Kerzhakov. As a result, Kerzhakov accepted an offer to work in Cyprus, signing a contract with Karmiotissa. The move marked a new chapter after a period of pause that Ovchinnikov described as unusually lengthy and somewhat surprising. He suggested that Kerzhakov faced resistance from club chiefs who feared the challenges of working with him and doubted their own ability to meet his standards. The implication was that Kerzhakov may have faced a tricky dynamic in his career, potentially influenced by past actions at Nizhny Novgorod.
Observers in Cypriot football expect that Kerzhakov will use this experience to rebuild his coaching profile and perhaps regain a position in Russian football in due course. The coach emphasized that the primary measure of any coach’s success is the sporting results achieved on the pitch. The comments were reported by RB Sports.
Officials from the Cypriot club confirmed that Kerzhakov signed a one-and-a-half-year deal. Karmiotissa presently sits in tenth place in the Cypriot top flight, with 23 points accrued from 22 league matches. This placement reflects a team that is competitive in a demanding league and aims to stabilize its mid-table standing while pursuing higher achievements.
Kerzhakov’s coaching career previously included leading Paris Nizhny Novgorod from mid-2021 to mid-2022. Before that tenure, he worked with the Russian national youth team at the Under 17 level and with Tom. Under his guidance, Nizhny Novgorod concluded the most recent Russian Premier League season in eleventh position, illustrating both potential and room for growth.
In other football-related developments, Elina Svitolina, once the top-ranked Ukrainian female tennis player, expressed support for the idea of a boycott of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris should Russian or Belarusian athletes be allowed to participate. The discussion around Olympic eligibility continued to surface amid ongoing debates about sports and geopolitics. The stance highlighted the broader tensions that can intersect with international sports competitions and the responsibilities athletes and federations face when global events intersect with national considerations.