Champion coach defects for Dinamo

Coach Igor Kryushenko's decision to leave FC BATE Borisov for FC Dinamo Minsk has heightened the rivalry between the two biggest rivals in Belarus.

Sign of the times
It was a move that came out of the blue. Having led BATE to the title in 2006 and 2007, Kryushenko was at the top of his game. Dinamo, by contrast, had finished the season ninth in the Vysshaya Liga. Although the Minsk club dominated Belarussian football before the new millennium, they have since played a supporting role to BATE's leading men.

Goncharenko hired
Hence the surprise when Kryushenko decided to head to the capital – a choice that infuriated BATE president Anatoli Kapski. "At the end of the season our board reached an agreement with Kryushenko about a two-year extension, but the situation got beyond our control," he said. "Viktor Goncharenko will be our head coach now. Time will heal any wounds."

'I need to grow'
Kryushenko, 43, said that time would also prove whether he was right to defect to Dinamo while insisting he left BATE with no hard feelings. "I thought a lot before taking this decision. I would like to thank Kapski for everything he has done. I've had nine wonderful seasons in Borisov, including the last three as coach. However I need to grow, like any man."

Nothing strange
Despite the controversy, Dinamo chief executive Yuri Chizh has claimed the switch "is a normal situation in football", explaining: "I met Kryushenko and the first thing I asked him was whether or not he wanted to take over at Dinamo. He said yes, so we worked on it. I'm absolutely sure money has nothing to do with it. There are more important factors."

Dinamo heritage
One factor may be the coach's history with Dinamo. He played for their reserve team between 1980 and 1984, being called up to represent the Soviet Union at junior level, before moving on to ply his trade with the likes of FC Khimik Grodno, FC Alga Frunze and FC Dinamo Yakutsk. Whether he can resurrect Dinamo's ailing fortunes in 2008 is now the question.