Former USSR hero Malofeev will relish return to Scotland

THE name may not be immediately familiar to Hearts supporters, but Eduard Malofeev is not a complete stranger to Scottish football.

The 64-year-old Belarussian, yesterday named as the club's new sporting director, will certainly recall his first visit to this country with great affection. It was in May 1967 that Malofeev played for the Soviet Union when they defeated Scotland 2-0 in a friendly at Hampden.

Given the Scottish team of Jim Baxter, Denis Law & Co had declared themselves unofficial world champions after beating England 3-2 at Wembley just a month earlier, the boys from the USSR were clearly a class act.

Malofeev didn't score in the win but he was an outstanding forward who enjoyed a notable playing career. A one-club man, who spent 14 years with his hometown side Dinamo Minsk, he became the first player from Belarus to score 100 goals in the Soviet Supreme League.

Gaining a place in the Soviet squad was a considerable achievement for a player from one of the satellite republics, but Malofeev more than matched up to his colleagues from the bigger clubs in Russia and Ukraine.

He earned 40 caps, scoring six times, including two in the 3-0 win over North Korea at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough in their opening fixture of the 1966 World Cup. Malofeev was an integral member of a highly talented side who reached the semi-finals, losing 2-1 to West Germany. He also played for the USSR in the European Championship finals of 1964 and 1968, progressing to the final of the former competition where they lost 2-1 to hosts Spain in Madrid.

Malofeev had always been regarded as one of the most thoughtful and shrewd members of the Soviet squad and it was little surprise when he made an immediate impact as a coach. Placed in charge of his beloved Dinamo Minsk after hanging up his boots, Malofeev guided them to the Soviet title in 1982 at the age of 39. It was the only time a club from Belarus had eclipsed the giants of Moscow and Kiev to become champions.

Since the break up of the Soviet Union, Malofeev has been coach of the Belarus national team and first worked with Vladimir Romanov as head of youth development at MTZ-Ripo Minsk. Romanov relocated him in January this year, placing him in charge of Kaunas, who are enjoying a stunning season in the Lithuanian championship, winning 17 and drawing one of their 18 matches so far.

A health scare forced Malofeev to return home to Belarus for treatment in May and miss several Kaunas matches, but he appears to have made a full recovery. Hearts supporters will hope he can plot his way to more happy days at Hampden in his new role.


Taken from the Scotsman