Zenit striker Artem Dzyuba and Match TV commentator Konstantin Genich made an interesting bet in May 2021. It concerned the attacker of the Wings of the Soviets Ivan Sergeev – in the winter, six months later, he moved to Zenit, and then scored 40 goals in the FNL. Genich bet that in the Premier League the striker would score at least eight goals in a season, Dziuba – no more than seven.
The commentator revealed the details on the air of “Match Premier”: It was pointless and uninteresting to argue for money, and I told him: “Come on, the one who loses fulfills the desire.” He said, “Well, okay.”
When Sergeev was approaching this mark of eight goals, I kept thinking, what is it to come up with so that Dziuba can do it. I have a thought, especially now, in view of recent events related to me and Spartak. I think how to catch Artyom here.
I want him to put on a white T-shirt with my photo and the inscription “Spartak, unban Genich” under the Zenit jersey. And when he scores, he will raise it for everyone to see.”
In Komment.News, Genich elaborated – due to the fact that “lawyers, defenders of Artyom question the legitimacy of the dispute”: “It was at Slutsky’s anniversary in May. There are a lot of witnesses.” Konstantin admitted that he would change his desire – and invited the audience to come up with a new one: “Many people think that this is incorrect in relation to Artyom.”
In the “golden” match against Lokomotiv, he scored his ninth goal this season (and also gave an assist). After the final whistle, Dziuba was asked about the dispute with Genich. The harshest answer is:
“We didn’t argue about anything. Konstantin Genich as a yellow press. The journalist with whom we talked face-to-face, inflated the space story in order to attract attention to himself. For me, this is shameful. The way Genich behaves is fu! It’s right that Spartak banned him. I would have banned him too!
“Dzyuba is bullshit! Shameful,” Genich wrote in response to his Telegram channel. And he added later: “There were 10 people around, what a tete-a-tete ?! And he himself proposed a dispute. And now – “fu”.
On television, the commentator turned the conversation into a very tough channel: “This is disgusting of him. For me personally, such a football player, such a person as Artem Dziuba, from this moment no longer exists.
“This is the first person who accused me of being yellow. I’m generally not inclined to be categorical and insulting, but the way Artem behaved now, who said that Spartak banned me correctly … Let him ban me, but he’s bullshit. Just bullshit. Our dispute is a kind of show. Russian football, perhaps, lacks such elements, when a journalist argues with the captain of the national team about a player in whom someone does not believe. At that time, it was an honest argument that had to be accepted like a man.
What Artem said is rotten. Now I understand perfectly why you are hated and hated by most fans.”
The dispute between Dzyuba and Genich became known at the beginning of the season. Sergeev, in an autumn interview with Dmitry Derunets, said that he was aware of the bet. To the remark that Artem did not believe in him, Ivan reacted with a smile: “Maybe because I have never played in the Premier League [до этого сезона]debuted at age 26. I can win a prize for Konstantin Genich.”
It is strange that Dziuba did not notice this. After the championship, he spoke about the object of the dispute: “It seems to me that Vanya Sergeev himself is uncomfortable. I hadn’t seen him before and didn’t know him, I’m glad that he is a good footballer and scores goals, I was just worried about him.”
“Next to us, when we argued, there were a huge number of people. It was not a private dispute, and many people heard it,” Genich added. “What he said about Ivan Sergeyev … Now he says that Vanya is such a good striker, but then he said something that if he reproduced it now, it would not seem enough to him.”
Before the New Year, it turned out: Dzyuba banned Genich in a well-known social network – precisely against the backdrop of a dispute. It turns out that they have not communicated since that very dispute at Slutsky’s holiday – neither in person nor online.
“The other day I noticed that I have not had Dzyuba in my feed for a long time. I think: “Maybe he abandoned the page?” I went to his profile and found out that I was on the black list. Therefore, communication with him is lost, – said Genich. – With the transition of Ivan to Zenit, our dispute with Dzyuba takes on new colors. It will be very funny if Artem eventually leaves the team, and Sergeyev joins it. Genich called the dispute about Sergeyev “a fundamental moment.”
Let’s clarify, yes, then there were rumors about Dzyuba’s departure from Zenit: the contract is about to expire, to extend it, Artem needed to play a certain percentage of matches for Zenit – this bar is still floating away from the attacker, however, Artem has not left the team and became a champion with her.
Sport24 has already paid attention to Genich’s sharp comments about Dziuba. The commentator called Artem “a little toxic”: Many experts behind the scenes speak of him not always in a kind way.
Many journalists, bloggers (for example, Amkal players) and even entire media reported about the blocking of Artem Dzyuba’s side. After Euro 2020, Dziube decided to write Vasily Konov in direct, but he found out that he was banned, although he had not even signed up for the forward, and did not speak sharply about him on social networks. Following in the bath at Dzyuba, the Championship publication found itself, after jokes on social networks, the Sports.ru account also got into the block. For the Sport24 profile, of course, Dziuba prepared the same fate.
Andrey Arshavin spoke succinctly about the case of Artyom and Genich: “Is Genich a yellow journalist for me? In general, he was red and white for me, then he dyed himself in Krasnodar. Well, he rushes about.
If they argued, maybe the truth is on Artyom’s side that there is no need to disclose private conversations. But since it came to the surface, you need to consolidate what you argued for, and Artyom should do it, it will be cool.”
Dmitry Shnyakin supported Genich’s colleague: “Instead of performing exotic, ironic, making a mini-show (which Dziuba is strong in), Artem turned an innocent argument into pouring shit on his friend.
I’m not talking about boyish and peasant principles, which Dzyuba also likes to screw somewhere. After all, it didn’t work out like a kid, the dispute was lost …
Again I remembered that story from San Marino. Well, drunken courageous fans are shouting something there. Well, you didn’t score. You are the main football player of the country! Well, come up, applaud ironically, even pick up their insults against you. Or shut up. People would appreciate it, because self-irony is a bulletproof shield. But in response to grievances and complaints. I’m amazed, of course.”
Dzyuba is not the first time someone is offended – and even showed that he knows how to do it beautifully. An example is the break with Roberto Mancini: Artem did not hide his irritation with the Italian at Zenit (and later voiced him to the media), Zenit tried to attach a prickly striker. Vyacheslav Malafeev explained Dzyuba’s absence at the Zenit training camp with “medical indicators”, to which Dzyuba replied with a photo from the gym with the hashtag “zdorokalev”. Soon he went on loan to Arsenal – and decently scored for Tula (including Zenit) and secured a place in the application for the World Cup, which eventually made Dziuba famous.
This time it is extremely difficult to understand Dziuba. The dispute was concluded not “tete-a-tete” – this is clearly ready to be confirmed by more than one Genich. The embarrassment for Sergeev is also poorly justified: Vanya does not look sad.
It is also unclear whether Artyom made any efforts to ensure that Genich did not “inflate space history.” It is unlikely that Konstantin generally took the story out in public or, in principle, reminded of the dispute if Artem asked for privacy. No, all we know about is another Instagram block.
In an interview where Genich got it, Dzyuba did not refuse Match – that is, he did not avoid media (“yellowness”), he did not extend sanctions to the channel: this is a personal vendetta.
Konstantin also got into awkward situations in the media – including recently with Mason Greenwood and violence. And he is also quite sensitive: there are legends about bans on Konstantin’s Twitter. The club affiliation mentioned by Arshavin also played a role. It is likely that Dziuba would have perceived a dispute with another commentator differently.
Now it’s hard to find an excuse for Artyom’s plum. Artem himself presented the situation as if Genich had told not about a friendly dispute, but about some compromising evidence. It got to the point that Konstantin revealed the details: Dziuba spoke impartially about Sergeyev behind his back, which is why the dispute was born. Artem (for some reason) expected that the bet would remain a secret, and it would be ugly to divulge the details – apparently, this is about the characteristics of Sergeyev, which Dziuba now recalls.
And Artyom was still able to smooth things over, if only not to aggravate them. But he went the other way.
One could hope that next time he would be more accurate – the interview is at least so, now Dziuba will become more delicate in personal communication. Something else is more likely: Artem will become even more isolated in himself and his bubble, his opponents in theirs. Dziuba has recently been discussed in the context of a difficult relationship with Karpin, with Zenit – they could switch to gold and contribute to it (Artem is the top scorer), and now Genich and Sergeyev are on the agenda.
And this is the choice of Artem himself.
Alexander Muyzhnek