Emma Raducanu’s former coach Dmitry Tursunov says he left because of ‘red flags’ about Raducanu’s mental state.
A former Russian national team coach says he left his team because of concerns over the team’s mental state, which forced him out.
“I was very concerned about the team’s well-being,” Dmitry Tursunov told The Associated Press. “I had other reasons for leaving.”
Tursunov said he decided to quit due to concerns that Raducanu was too prone to depression. Tursunov’s former Russia national team teammates have described Raducanu as depressed.
Russia played Lithuania in a Euro Cup game in August 2017.
Tursunov said he had been part of a team that won the European Championship last year. He said Raducanu’s national team coach had wanted a roster overhaul to make room for more players from the “smaller” Russian leagues. Raducanu’s team, which had been playing in the top tier of Russian soccer for most of the season, beat one of the biggest teams in Russia, and Tursunov was fired.
“We had a great relationship and we were a good team. There were no problems whatsoever,” Tursunov said.
Tursunov said he was aware of the psychological issues in the Russian national team, but he had been under the impression that Raducanu was not depressed.
“My thought was, ‘It’s just one guy, what does it matter?'” Tursunov said.
Raducanu, a midfielder, played a key role in Russia’s run to the top of the tournament. He won the Golden Boot as top scorer in the tournament, and then helped Russia advance to the quarterfinals.
The Russian federation has said Raducanu was not found with a match day drug screen while on international duty.
In June, Raducanu released a statement through the federation, saying he was being treated for depression. He said he had been taking