Monument to the Master

On the eve of the First International Valery Lobanovsky Memorial Tournament, the Kyiv Dynamo Stadium, renamed in his honor last May, witnessed the unveiling of a sculptural composition with the coach’s bronze likeness as its centerpiece.

The monument by the celebrated sculptor Volodymyr Filatov was placed in the park near the entrance to the sports arena beforehand as if to let Lobanovsky immortalized in bronze get used to his new residence and blend in with the surrounding landscape. Kyivans and city guests could have a closer look at the likeness of the Dynamo coach frozen on the bench as if posed to jump to his feet in the heat of the game, which had been Valery Lobanovsky’s whole life.

The monument was unveiled officially on a warm Sunday night when soccer fans were buying tickets to the Lobanovsky Memorial games. Dynamo President Ihor Surkis addressed those present for the unveiling, stressing that the memorial sculptural composition is but a small fraction of what the Dynamo management is doing to perpetuate the memory of the celebrated coach. Ukraine’s First President Leonid Kravchuk, Olympic champion and meritorious Soviet coach Mykyta Symonian, along with the 1960s Dynamo captain Viktor Kanevsky, also spoke warmly of the coach.

The sculptural composition at the Dynamo Stadium is unique in terms of its architectural and technical solution. Suffice it to mention the television screen embedded in the foot of the monument. On match days, this screen will show unique close-ups that have saved for us the image of Lobanovsky, player and coach. The monument has been designed to be accessible to visitors, who can pose for a picture near the bronze likeness of Valery Lobanovsky that will henceforward welcome everybody who comes to the stadium where Dynamo Kyiv will score many a victory.