I’m not afraid! – Koman Vladimir on Iran, epidemic, return

Koman Vladimir

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“Are you here in Iran or do I catch you?”
“I am at home with my parents in Szombathely,” he told our newspaper. Koman Vladimir, who finished second in the Iranian league as a base for Sepahan, scored one goal and two assists in seventeen games during the season. “I arrived home two weeks ago, on April 16, and was in official quarantine until May 1.

“Look on the bright side, at least you could have been with your family!”
– With some, yes, but my wife and my two daughters are in Russia. There was no way he could go out with them, as the country had closed its borders to everyone. For now, it’s plastic when I can see them again. I hope to find them as soon as possible, since they did not follow me to Iran either.

“In light of this, how have you endured the confinement for the past two weeks?”
– Fortunately, I took it, I had a lot of work around the house with a garden, and I also took care of my individual workouts. I kept in touch with my club on a daily basis. We also established a team chat via the WhatsApp app, and through that, our fitness trainer shared our daily tasks with us. The sports director is also a member of the group, keeping us informed of current news.

“Well, and what are the latest developments when you have to return to Isfahan?”
– Professional staff reassigned to May 3, at the moment it seems that I can no longer stay in Hungary.

– Can you continue the tournament, which was suspended in late February?
– When I arrived, everyone thought that the season should continue in some way, and I also think that the tournament would end on the field. However, if the forced break lasts until the end of May, we will have very little time until the start of the new season. As far as I know, the Asian Champions League could continue in early August. The Asian Football Association would organize the tournament in Qatar, Kuwait or Oman, starting from the beginning, all results so far would be canceled. Oddly enough, if there had been no league games until then, we would only be interested in the most prestigious series of cups on the continent. The Iranian Cup has certainly been removed from the tournament calendar, but the league wants to see the remaining nine games in forty days, behind closed doors, of course. If this happened, the balance of power thus far could be completely upset, and I’m afraid there would be a lot of damage after the reboot.

– How financially does Iranian soccer support this extraordinary situation?
“I don’t know of a club that cannot end the season or is even in danger of leaving. However, the country has been under sanctions for forty years and the coronavirus situation is making life even more difficult for locals. The Association Iranian Soccer does not have access to FIFA’s help either, as there is no international banking system in the country. They are completely separate from the outside world, but I think the country will also recover from this situation. the economy, with some restrictions lifted. I know all the stores have opened, people are working again.

– In your experience, how did you react to the pandemic in Iran?
“At first they weren’t taken seriously, but when tens of thousands became infected, the general attitude changed dramatically. Initially, people started wearing masks, then handshakes were lost, stores closed, and then everyone stayed home. They understood the gravity of the situation, and although there was no official ban, people did not take to the streets for a narrow month and a half.

“While you were in Iran, were you afraid of contracting the virus?”
– Not at all, and I’m not afraid right now. I follow all the recommendations and rules so as not to accidentally catch them. Fortunately, we don’t know about an Iranian soccer player who contracted the coronavirus. I hope it continues to be so.

“Aren’t you concerned when the United States carried out a drone attack on Iranian political leaders in January?”
“It was a strange situation, so sure!” They gave us a short break and we should have returned to Iran on January 3. The drone attack took place just that day, during which General Kasim Suleiman was liquidated in neighboring Iraq. I got my club information, I can safely fly back, no problem. My Brazilian teammate only traveled two weeks after the incident, but I left immediately. I didn’t experience any tension at the time, I still think Iran is a very safe country with only its foreign policy issues.

“Is everything okay out there then?”
– I feel really good in Iran. I also like the league, the quality is good, we play fast driving games. My team is also a good force, I am in a club with a long history and a solid formation. In a stand, I can enter the field in front of between eighty and one hundred thousand spectators, which is quite extraordinary. There are a lot of young and fast technical players playing football here, and that surprised me. Perhaps the attitude and tactical preparation of footballers is not what is common in Europe. I could compare the standard with the Japanese league, Iranian soccer is one of the strongest on the continent.

– Can we say adventure is here?
– Absolutely! Obviously, it is not easy for a European to integrate into a Shiite Islamic country. At first the medium was strange, but now I am used to it. I like to live in Iran.

– Looking at the Instagram page, the friendly posts are lined up under his photos, fans really love him.
“I also often see how much they love me.” They know each other, they stop many times on the street, which is nice. People are extremely open, sometimes too friendly to me.

“Will you extend your contract with Sepahan, which expires at the end of the season?”
– Depends on the offer you receive from my club. I don’t want to rule out the possibility of staying, but it would be premature to talk about a joint continuation for now. I do not reject the idea of ​​returning home, I am open to any interest.

Sardar Azmun