Wroclaw met us with bad weather, terrible rain and you will not believe, the temperature before the match was – plus 1°C!!!
Imagine, in the middle of June, in the middle of Europe we almost got frozen. Who could imagine to take warm clothes here in the middle of summer? It appeared that UEFA had taken it under its consideration and at once I was given heaters. In a word, until the sun did not arise heaters were working in our office as well as at the stadium.

A lot of people are supposed to watch yesterday’s match between Russia-Czech republic, now I will try to tell you what you did not watch yesterday. To my mind it will not be uninteresting.  By the way the delegate of the match was junior Nodar Akhalkatsi and he did his duty very well.
As I told you in the previous article, Russians adore Alan Dzagoev and he, who comes from Georgia, also did his best yesterday. Arshavin’s good playing is newsworthy.
Generally, after the match media centre has much to do. As soon as you hear referee’s whistling you have to catch the player, who was distinguished during the match and take him to TV channels, then studio interviews’ time comes, then press-conference and finally mixed zone.
Sergey Fursenko president of Russian Football Union surprised me, he is very sociable and energetic man, he was standing in front of the changing room, smiled me warmly and trying to help me.
In a word, he was doing his best and helping us to having chance take interview with Ashivin, Zhirkov, Pavlichenko.
We satisfied Russian. German, Dutch, Pole media, but no one accepted to give interview to “Al Jazeera”… a lot of money was invested in this TV company and soon it will become leader TV company in the world.

After the match, Advocaat gave interview to several TV channels, but surprisingly refused from interviewing to German TV channel. My blonde, 2-metre, blue-eyed colleague asked Advocaat to accept interviewing with German TV channel, Advocaat smiled – you are trying because they are from your country, are not you?. Mister Dick I am Georgian, this girl is American and we just doing our duty, Advocaat did not say anything and talked to the German quite enough.
Then I asked my colleague Belgium Nikolas, to accompany Dick Advocaat to the press-conference. By the way Nikolas used to play football with Johan Boskamp’s son and their head coach was Dick Advocaat!!!
After the match, traditionally, Danish “Carlsberg” named its favorite player and of course it was Dzagoev. I went to the changing room and told him in Georgian – Alan, congratulations, you named as the best. Alan smiled and told me – I do not know Georgian, but my parents do very well. As a rule I brought him to fast interviews and pleased Russian TV channel and then accompanied him to RTR studio. Then, Nikolas took him to the press-conference and legendary Davor Suker gave Dzagoev “Carlsberg” prize.
In a word, everyone is pleased and “Al Jazeera” still stands alone. I have one friend with name Mazlium, who works at “Al Jazeera”- I helped him many times at Champions League and wherever he meets me he always has Arabic candies for me. That’s why I did my best to bring some Russian player for him, at the first attempt I was refused but when I started talking in Russian I was accepted, I was told that only Kerzhakov was there, but he could not speak English. I offered them to be a translator, so Kerzhakov gave Arab TV company interview in Russian and I, Georgian translated to Arab TV company Russian player’s interview in English.
When we finished, dark-faced speaker of “Al Jazeera” was so glad that shook me hands ten times.
To say it in a short way, the match ended at 22.30 o’clock and the press-conference took 2 hours, then we had meeting and I got to the hotel at 02:00 o’clock, where the car was waiting for me and it took me to the Wroclaw airport.  Flight to Warsaw, little wait, then flight to Gdansk. I have to be at Gdansk stadium at 11:20 o’clock and have to prepare press-conference before the match between Spain and Italy.
Sleepless night, 2 flights… so if there is some grammar mistakes in this article do not judge me strictly..

UEFA media-officer Mamuka Kvaratskhelia

Specially for “World Sport” from Gdansk