Mykola Kostenko headed the Ukrainian national beach soccer team before the Euroleague Super Final

29.08.2020 13:02

Photo by futsalua.org

Mykola Kostenko, a new coach, is preparing the Ukrainian beach soccer team for the Euroleague Super Final, which will take place in early September in Nazar, Portugal.

Mykola Kostenko headed the Ukrainian beach soccer team, replacing former team coach Yevhen Varenytsia. The 44-year-old specialist remains part-time coach of the Kyiv club "Alternative", which recently took second place in this year's championship of Ukraine. 

"Before, when we worked in the national team together with Yevhen Varenytsia, we had one task - to fight for the highest places. Therefore, in my opinion, even now neither the philosophy of the blue-yellows nor their tasks will change. Ukraine has always been considered one of the top European teams. We have participated in European and world championships, so we need to create a strong competitive team.

I can say that there will be no revolution in the national team at the moment. It just doesn't make sense to do it, because during the previous work we gave the result - we became the winners of the European Cup and the Euroleague. There may be some changes in the lineup, but the principle of forming the team will remain unchanged. The best performers of beach soccer in Ukraine should play in it. These should be the leaders of the teams that occupy the highest places, in particular, in the national championship, "said the new head coach.

The first tournament in which the blue and yellows will play under the leadership of Mykola Kostenko will be Euroleague Super Final 2020. It will take place on September 2-6 in Nazar, Portugal. Five national teams have confirmed their participation in the competition - Portugal, France, Switzerland, Germany and Ukraine. They will play in a single-round tournament.

On August 26, our team started the training camp in preparation for the competition. It takes place at Kyiv's Hydropark Arena and will last for four days. And on August 30 the national team of Ukraine will leave for Portugal.