Sunday, June 4 2006

KIEV: Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin instantly became a national hero when he led his country into the World Cup finals for the first time in their history.

The 53-year-old former striker had already won fame and fortune while playing for Dynamo Kiev in the 1970s and 80s but the latest achievement put him on an even higher pedestal.

After Ukraine lost three times in the play-offs Blokhin vowed to qualify his team directly from first place shortly after taking over as national coach in September 2003.

It was a bold prediction considering Ukraine’s opponents in their qualifying group were European champions Greece, World Cup semi-finalists Turkey and Euro 92 winners Denmark.

Ever since joining Ukraine’s most popular club at 17 in 1970, Blokhin has been accustomed to the limelight, leading Dynamo Kiev to a record eight Soviet titles.

He also helped Dynamo to earn the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1975 when they became the first Soviet side to win a major European club trophy.

Dynamo also won the European Supercup that year, beating European Cup winners Bayern Munich, 1-0 and 2-0, with Blokhin scoring all three goals in a two-legged tie.

That feat earned him the European “Player of the Year” award.

The speedy striker was also voted Soviet Player of the Year for three consecutive years from 1973 to 1975.

Blokhin led Dynamo to a second Cup Winners’ Cup in 1986. In all he played in 432 Soviet league games, scoring 211 goals (both still remain national records) between 1970 and 1987.

As coach, Blokhin stayed true to his principles, never giving in to outside pressure or shying away from controversy.

Last year, Blokhin, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, had to go to court to stay on as national team coach after several MPs demanded his resignation, saying he could not do both jobs.

The Appeal Court backed Blokhin. But in March he lost his bid to remain in parliament when the opposition party he had joined — along with the head of Ukraine’s soccer federation — failed to win seats.

On the pitch, he quickly asserted his authority, dismissing several veterans for indiscipline. At times, even captain and leading player Andriy Shevchenko was not immune from criticism.

“Some have predicted that having two European ‘Players of the Year’ on the same team might be a bit too many,” Blokhin said in reference to the AC Milan striker. “But we’ve managed. We’ve been all united in achieving our main goal.”

Blokhin has already declared his goal in Germany.

“We want to win the World Cup,” he stated shortly after qualifying for the 32-team tournament.

Although he later backed off, saying it was meant to be a joke, nobody in Ukraine now takes his comments lightly.

(REUTERS)