Sergei Morozov: "This year we'll see Juventus and Liverpool at the Academy "
The tournament organiser at the blue-white-sky blue's academy spoke with us about the recent international tournaments at the Gazprom Academy.
What did our guests think of the academy?
They were happy. For them the visit to St. Petersburg and one of the best academies of Russia is a serious event. They happily accepted our invitation. Our guests had the time not only for football, but also for exploring the city, they did a lot during the tour. Many of the Finnish guys have never been so were pleased that they were able to discover something new and to learn Russian better.
On the football field, our players were not too hospitable to Lahti, all six games were won by Zenit with big wins.
The best team won. Our guests tried to play football, but our players were stronger. In any event, the Finnish team are well trained and physically ready, so the tournament went extremely well.
Are you completely satisfied with the tournament?
This was the second time we have used this format, the first was when we played against Benfica's academy. Perhaps only Zenit holds tournaments like this. We think it was very successful because in the tournament we were able to observe more than one team. These tournaments are relished by the coaches and players, but our goal is not just to hold the tournament, we want to benefit our academy.
The Friendship Cup was the first tournament for the Academy this calendar year. Will there be more?
We have the Yuri A. Morozov Tournament with some of the strongest European academies coming, Italy's Juventus, England's Liverpool, Portugal's Benfica, France's Marseilles and our own CSKA Moscow are all coming. Then we have the Dmitry Nikolaevich Cup, where four of our teams will play against their peers from Liverpool. Perhaps at the end of October, weather permitting, we will have another small tournament.
