Christopher Samba: Anzhi supporters are as good as the Blackburn fans

Anzhi defender Christopher Samba in an interview to Sport-Express spoke of his surprise at the quality of the pitch in Makhachkala and insisted the local fans are just as passionate as the supporters at his former club Blackburn.

«The playing surface seemed to withstand the torrid conditions, would you agree?»

«Oh yes, especially compared to the pitch in the match against Dynamo, here it was truly superb! The ball moved a lot faster because of the rain, but the playing surface was excellent throughout the match. I have to give credit to our administrators and stadium staff for a brilliant job they did.»

«And what about the stadium itself, which is quite old, and what did you think of the local supporters?»

«The stadium’s age doesn’t make much of a difference, as the atmosphere was fantastic. The stands are close to the pitch here, which makes it similar to the English arenas. The supporters were very passionate and kept us going for the duration of the match.»

«Was the support as impressive as at Blackburn?»

«Absolutely. They cheered from the off to the final whistle, irrespective of the dynamics on the playing field. The fans know that we are here to give our best, but sometimes the game just isn’t going our way,» said the Congolese stopper.