Glory days ... Sydney FC players and fans celebrate their 2010 grand final win against Melbourne Victory. Credit:Getty Images MC: You were president of Zenit for three seasons [2003-05], laying the foundations for the club's resurgence. What needed to change to make the club successful and how proud are you of what Zenit have achieved [two championships, one UEFA Cup, one Russian Cup] since? DT: When we came to the club as shareholders, the budget was relatively small, compared to now. The infrastructure was relevant to that budget. Therefore the club not only needed investment, but we had to change the infrastructure to fulfil our strategic goals. We modernised the administration, we created a football department to deal with everything from the academy to the professionals. We wanted the home-grown talent. Players like [Igor] Denisov and [Vladimir] Bystrov have come through, others like [Andrei] Arshavin and [Aleksandr] Kerzhakov were relatively known, but they weren't as famous or successful as they are now. There are five or six players in the starting 11 now that started in that time. I'm very proud of the fact that Zenit is one of the leading clubs in Russia right now, that they perform well in Europe, and they are on the right track to become one of the biggest clubs in Europe in my opinion. MC: You sold out of Zenit and became a founding shareholder of Sydney FC in 2005. Why? DT: At that time, the club [Zenit] started a new chapter in their development. We received a very attractive offer from Gazprom to become the major shareholder. I don't think any club would say no to a shareholder of that size. All the achievements speak for themselves, and indicate to me the club is on the right track. With regards to Sydney FC, in 2005 the A-League was formed and Scott [Barlow], my son-in-law, heard about it and became very interested in the project. We discussed it as a family, and as a family we decided to become one of the founding shareholders of Sydney FC. We do believe the club has huge potential, and the city of Sydney deserves to have a successful football club.

MC: Two years ago, you joined with Paul Ramsay in becoming one of the major shareholders. You must have been delighted when Sydney FC won the championship that season [2009-10]? DT: Paul and I were very happy with the achievements. Everyone, the team, the supporters, were very happy. When Paul and I became partners, we made some changes, we signed a qualified European coach [Vitezslav Lavicka] and some players of a good standard, and the team performed very well. When we took the ownership we had planned to take the double [minor premiership and grand final] in year two, so we achieved our goal a bit faster. MC: Despite that success, crowds have dropped off, and the club continues to lose big money. Have you, at any stage, had regrets about your investment? DT: Obviously the first year, the team showed good results and we did have increased crowds that season. Last year the team didn't perform very well, so that translated to the crowds. But I don't have any doubts about my investment, only a big desire to change the situation and understand the problems. When the crowd is just over 10,000, it is not as good as I would hope for. But this only indicates we have a lot of work ahead of us. MC: How do you see the economics of the A-League generally? Are you a supporter of the salary cap?

DT: For the economics of the league, there is a lot of work to be done for the FFA and the clubs. One of the medium-term goals is that all clubs should stop losing money. After six years, most clubs are losing money. The management of these clubs must concentrate on growing the revenues - sponsorships, memberships, ticket sales, transfer fees. The FFA should be helping the clubs in doing so. And in my opinion, the FFA's priority should be to work on getting a very good TV deal. As for the salary cap, it is true this is an unusual situation for me. It doesn't exist in Russia. But I do feel positively about it, because it leads to closer competition. It makes the league more interesting, and competitive. MC: When you became a major shareholder, there was a lot of talk about Sydney FC becoming a major brand in Asia. Is the club any closer to achieving that, and how important is Asia to you in the long term? DT: To become a major brand in Asia is still one of our main goals. We want Sydney FC to play in the Asian Champions League every year - not only to participate but to have a real go at winning it. That might seem like a difficult dream, but I believe in the near future this is possible. I was inspired by what Adelaide United have done [reaching the Champions League final in 2008]. MC: Were you disappointed, then, with the results in this year's Asian Champions League, and the fact that the public hasn't warmed to the competition? DT: It was a valuable experience that will help improve the performances for the next time. I admit I was taken aback, a little surprised, at the crowds for the ACL games. In Europe for the Champions League, the stadiums are full. But I do see the ACL is constantly developing, there are new sponsors, the prizemoney is increasing, and it becomes more prestigious. Eventually this will adjust the public view, and interest in the ACL will increase.

MC:Vitezslav Lavicka was your appointment. How do you measure his performance, and do you believe the club needs a foreign coach? DT: I do think ''Vitja'' is a very qualified, experienced, coach. He won the championship in the Czech Republic, and he proved himself here in Australia the first year. I do believe the team this year will perform well under his leadership. But we don't necessarily need a foreign coach. It can be an Australian coach who is suitably qualified and plays a brand of football that is consistent with our football philosophy. MC: What about foreign players? Does the club need to do better in terms of its imports? DT: Firstly, I do think foreign players are beneficial for the A-League. They make it more interesting, and stronger. At Sydney FC, we need to constantly work towards bringing in good quality foreign players. We want to improve the level. The foreign players in the A-League now are better than they were at the start. The clubs are becoming more experienced at recruiting them, and the A-League is becoming better known in Europe, and in Asia. Therefore it is becoming more interesting to foreign players to come here. MC: What about using your connections to bring a Russian player to Sydney FC?

DT: Yes, I do have connections, and we do have it in our plans. The problem is there is a big difference in the salaries in Russia compared to Australia. But we do want a player who would be very interesting to our crowd. We are definitely considering this. MC: Recently there has been talk that the club has embarked on a three-year plan. Do you intend to stay on as a major investor for that time, and if so what do you expect to achieve by 2014? DT: I plan to be an investor for that time. I don't want to discuss our internal targets, but I can say that in terms of finance we are working towards growing our revenues. We are also really hoping for the FFA getting a good TV deal. In the mid-term we hope our shareholders will have to contribute less. Loading MC: Finally, do Sydney FC and Zenit now have an equal share of your heart? Can we hope to see Zenit and Sydney FC in an exhibition game here at some stage?

DT: Zenit was my first love, and is my current love, and will always be in my heart. But currently I am sharing that with Sydney FC. I love the city of Sydney, I love Australia, I feel very happy and comfortable when I come here. I do take pleasure working to develop Sydney FC. Regarding Zenit coming here, why not? We have already seen Everton and other clubs come here. There is a possibility we will start negotiations.