Evan Savvidis, Ashworth and a strange story from the past

It’s the winter break in some leagues. Let’s go to Russia. There, Spartak’s management is involving the general public in its efforts to find a new sports director. Englishman Paul Ashworth is at the helm. Will he remain in the critical position? unknown.

To everyone’s surprise, Ashworth took up his position at Spartak Moscow in the fall of 2022 and after the club was sold by Leonid Fedun. The casting for the enigmatic Englishman was initially seen as a puzzling move, mainly because his CV was not what we would call ‘glossy’.

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Paul Ashworth’s grass court career ended in his youth. early. Too early. Even before it starts. It soon became clear that he would not become a professional footballer. The young man left the Norwich academy but was still determined to link his life with football. First he tried to become a coach: at the age of 22 he tried to distinguish himself as coach of Ventspils in Latvia. Then he went to Riga. And then get to know Russia. President of Rostov (then), Ivan SavvidisIn 2005, he appointed the 36-year-old, unknown among the unknowns, to the position of sports director.

In the 2005 season, Ashworth managed to coach Rostov, but not for long. He has only been acting as coach for two weeks. The first Englishman in the Russian League. Has he lost Ivan Savvidis’ trust? Did a strange story from the past play a role? Because yes, now the Englishman categorically refuses to give interviews, but once he willingly spoke with Russian journalists. And everyone probably learned his own version of the divorce, the short end of his relationship with Rostov.

“For me, the surprise was the appointment as coach. After that they asked me to miss the round robin match. I said I had no intention of doing that and we got a point with the Kazan team. We drew 1-1. The president of Rostov, Ivan Savvidis, was aware of the situation , as reported at the time by SportBox.ru.

Who specifically called for the team to lose? And for what reason? Maybe important people from the club he was at the helm at that time had knowledge of Greek football “today”?

Familiar, but extinct? Indeed, it is a story that has left its mark on Russian football and on those who look far enough under the rug and do not stop at the obvious.

source: in.gr

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