Aliyev Defiant In Aftermath Of Dismissal: “The Referee Is A Donkey.”

By: Yevy | November 28th, 2008

Getting sent off in a big match is a tough pill to swallow, especially for a player considered to be one of the centerpieces of his team. Emotions run high, control is lost, and the filter between the brain and the mouth stops functioning. The next day players tend to regret adrenaline-fueled comments to the referee or the media, if only because of the impact their words can have on the length of their suspension or on their pocketbook. It’s even harder to remain self righteous when your teammates and the club president acknowledge that your actions crossed the line. But not for Oleksandr Aliyev. A day after seeing red as his team was bounced from the Champions League, the Dynamo midfielder gave this interview to Ukrainian tabloid Сегодня:

Q: You’ve had a chance to calm down a little bit. Do you think you overreacted? How are you feeling?

Aliyev: I feel great, why not? It’s football, what can you do! We played, we lost. As for my dismissal… The manner in which the match was officiated is just not the way it’s done in Europe or the Champions League.

Q: Your teammates (Stanyslav) Bohush, (Andriy) Nesmachniy think you were in the wrong, football experts have condemned your actions. How do you react to the criticism?

A: Let them criticize, I don’t pay any attention to it. The important thing is that I know I was not at fault. I just touched the referee, I didn’t move him. I wanted to take the free kick quickly because the keeper was off his line and I saw an opportunity to score. But the referee felt it was necessary to send me off. Let it be on his conscience! The opinions of the “experts” who criticize me do not not interest me.

Q: You sad some unkind words about the referee after the match. Do you regret it now?

A: I’ll repeat it again - he is a donkey! I am right! I have never backed off my words and I won’t start now. I don’t regret what I said, and I don’t think I overreacted.

Q: Do you know how many European matches you will miss? What do you think about a possible fine? (Club president) Ihor Surkis said that such actions must be punished financially…

A: Nothing is clear yet about the suspension, but one thing I can guarantee 100% - there will be no fine. Who brought up the idea of fining me, anyway? What, I get a red card and I should be fined? I don’t get that.

But how do you really feel about it, Sasha?

It’s hard to read that interview and not come away shaking your head. It’s even harder to imagine how a man who refuses to accept any responsibility for his actions is ever going to become a reliable professional footballer. For all the promise of his undeniable talent, a lack of discipline has held Aliyev back throughout his young career. There once was a feeling in the Dynamo camp that Sasha cared more about drinking and chasing girls than he did about football. Ukraine manager and former Dynamo star Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko refused to invite Aliyev to the senior team because of (drumroll) a needless red card he picked in a U-21 match. Aliyev worked hard to overcome those hurdles, only to face his demons again on the biggest of stages. The stubbornness and the fuck-all attitude of his candid comments underline the qualities that make Aliyev a fierce competitor on the pitch but may keep him from ever becoming a truly great player.