“My Game”: 7 thoughts on sports from Basta

CSKA fan and rap star Vasily “Basta” Vakulenko, who attracts more spectators to his concerts than his favorite team does to its home games, gave an interview to the press center of the “big” CSKA. A few main thoughts are in our selection.

About soccer players

Our players lack the most important thing. There is no realization that you have to sacrifice yourself, no fierce desire to be the best in the world, they are not ready, in my opinion, to die for the sake of their country, their team. In the Soviet Union, as they used to say jokingly, it was always Comrade Beria standing behind the goal. Or Stalin. Then, it seems to me, there were both leverage on the players and the athletes’ understanding that not only the state machine, but millions of compatriots were behind them. Now after a match, a soccer player tells journalists: “Well, I played as well as I could”.

The residents of Moscow, who are in military service, should play for CSKA, while the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs should play for Dynamo.

About CSKA

Cheering for CSKA is dangerous. In the sense that cheering for such a club is a big responsibility, you have to live up to it. My friends and I often go to matches, to the usual sector, wearing a mask, of course, so that no one recognizes us. We are invited to other places, and to the VIP-sector, but it’s a bit different, it’s not soccer for me.

About the holiday

To cheer at the stadium is a great holiday for me. At the last match we went to, there was a magical performance. The band sang the song “Sansara”. We shouted, sang, I posted it on Instagram. It was a great historical event for me, that my song was sung by the sector, a great honor and celebration.

About the World Cup

I am very worried about the result of our soccer team. This is my pain. This is a topic for a separate big conversation. I am happy that a lot of children have now come to new soccer schools. It has become clear to everyone that working with talented young footballers is the most reliable investment of Gazprom’s money. I have radical views on the development of soccer in my country. I believe that local kids should play for every city. For CSKA, Moscow residents who serve in the military should play, for Dynamo – representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. So that the fans know that our team may not play the best, but it is our native boys who are trying to win every game. Let our own play as they have been taught, than some guest players. Anyway, our Russian soccer championship is so bad.

About Putin, Fursenko and Zenit’s foreigners

It was the right irony. About seven years ago I went to the program “Headbutt”. After the program they tried to tell me for a long time: “You don’t understand, we need foreigners to make the game more spectacular”. I don’t know. I would like to cheer for the soccer where our guys play. That’s the real romanticism. There were no foreigners in the USSR championship, but how great our guys played, holy shit.

About doping

I don’t have a clear opinion about doping. If a person uses doping and wants to die quickly, it’s his choice. Adult games. First of all, I don’t fully understand what doping is. How to draw a fine line between useful medicine and doping. Unless, of course, we’re talking about outright stimulants. Say, is meldonium a doping? It’s not clear. It’s a drug that helps the heart work.

About rap and hockey

Danya Markov said that before the World Championship final in Canada, our hockey players listened to the song “My Game”. Markov is a monster. A representative of the old school of hockey. A real bogatyr. At his last World Championship he played with a torn finger. He promised me, “If we win, I’ll say hi to you on camera.” So we were watching hockey in a Rostov pub, and I told the guys: “Our team will win, and Danya Markov will show me something”. Everyone was like: “Come on, why are you scratching your head?” Our team wins, but I don’t see Danya on TV. The guys were like, “You’re a blabbermouth.” And then, Markov does this on camera (shaking his finger. – Editor’s note). Everyone in the Rostov pub went crazy.

Watch the full version of the interview with Basta on CSKA’s YouTube channel.