Balancing act tests Puntus
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Article summary
Yuri Puntus is in danger of getting caught in the middle between club and country as he juggles his jobs as coach of FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk and Belarus.
Article body
Yuri Puntus is in danger of getting caught in the middle between club and country as he juggles his jobs as coach of FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk and Belarus.
Rising stars
MTZ-RIPO are one of the rising forces in Belarussian football. Since winning promotion to the Vysshaya Liga in the summer of 2004, the Minsk side have won the 2005 Belarus Cup and are on course for a second successive top-three finish in the league. The club's owner Vladimir Romanov, who also owns Lithuanian champions FBK Kaunas and Scottish side Heart of Midlothian FC, has big ambitions for MTZ-RIPO, having said he wants them to "make a bit of noise in Europe". It was for that reason that he hired Puntus as coach.
Glowing reputation
Named as Belarus's Coach of the Year five times in six years between 1999 and 2004, Puntus had shone as coach of FC BATE Borisov, combining his role with a spell as national Under-21 coach, leading Belarus to the finals of the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He therefore seemed a perfect choice to take over at MTZ-RIPO in November 2004, especially as he had played for the club in their previous guise of FC Traktor Minsk back in the 1970s. However, ever since he took over as coach of the senior Belarus national team in February this year, there has been reports of friction.
Undue prominence
Two disappointing European campaigns in succession have not pleased the MTZ-RIPO board, while pundits in Belarus are unconvinced about Puntus's ability to give enough time to his job with the national team. Moreover, some claim that he has been giving undue prominence to MTZ-RIPO players in his Belarus selections. "Yes, the MTZ-RIPO board has the right to be upset because of my falling short of my task," said the 46-year-old Puntus. "I have to miss out some training sessions because of my duties with the national team, but I am sure that the national team does not suffer from my working with the club."