Viktar Mihailavich Hancharenka was born in 1977 to a middle-class family in Khoiniki, Belarus. He is the son of Mikhail Hancharenka, a Belarusian engineer who died in 1993 in the wake of the infamous Chernobyl disaster and who was a big football fan.
He works as an assistant manager with PFC CSKA Moscow. He is the youngest ever manager to lead a team in the final group stage of the Union of European Football Associations Champions League. He set this record on September 17, 2008, in a match against Real Madrid, at the age of 31.
Formative years and education
His mother was the manager of a small shop in Belarus.
Football was a major part of his life and his father was very impressed with his knowledge of the sport. In 1995, after his father"s death, Viktor became a student at the Republic College of Olympic Reserve in Minsk, Belarus.
In the RUOR, Viktor got most of his footballing knowledge. He also met other famous Belarusian football players Alexander Hleb, Vitali Kutuzov and Yuri Zhevnov.
In 1998, Viktor joined BATE Borisov.
Hancharenka"s playing career began in 1995, when he made his debut as a defender aged 18. At the age of 25 Hancharenka was forced to retire through injury. Before he became head manager of BATE, Hancharenka was assistant manager at Football Club BATE under coaches Yuri Puntus and Igor Kriushenko.
Under Hancharenka"s leadership, BATE in 2008 became the first club from Belarus to qualify for the lucrative group stages of the Union of European Football Associations Champions League and in 2009-2010 of the Union of European Football Associations Europa League.
In 2011 Hancharenka and his BATE defeated Arizona 4–1 in the group stage of the Union of European Football Associations Europa League and lead the team in 1/16 stage of Union of European Football Associations Europa League Cup. In August 2011 Hancharenka led his club into the group stage of the Champions League again.
On 12 October 2013, Hancharenka was appointed as manager of Russian Premier League side Kuban Krasnodar.
