Friday, May 22, 2009

Russian News Wrap: Hiddink In Demand

The Russian football authorities want national team manager Guus Hiddink to help them in their 2018 World Cup bid.

"We hope that Guus Hiddink will become an ambassador for our bid to hold the 2018 World Cup in Russia," Russian Football Union general director Aleksey Sorokin told RIA Novosti.

He also said the Russian football governing body plans “to hold talks with Hiddink as soon as he flies into Moscow for preparations for a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Finland".

The game is scheduled for June 10.Sorokin added that the Russian Football Union would also approach a number of other figures, including other foreigners, to promote Russia's bid.Guus Hiddink has hero status in South Korea and Australia after guiding those countries to successful world cup campaign.

The Dutchman has managed Russia since 2006, leading the team to the semifinals of Euro 2008. In February 2009, he also took over at Chelsea until the end of the season, and is due to return to coaching Russia full-time after the London club's FA Cup final clash with Everton on May 30.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's sports minister Vitaly Mutko to prepare the country's 2018 World Cup. The head of Russian football's governing body, says the country is ready to spend some $10 billion on the World Cup.

Zenit’s Danny is out for season

Sport Express reported that Zenit midfielder Danny is out of football until the end of the season because of injury problems. Results of a medical examination showed that the Portuguese attacking midfielder has a fracture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee.Having consulted with medical staff of Zenit and Portuguese national team, doctors have decided to conduct medical surgery next week in Portugal.

The exact terms of the player’s full rehabilitation will be clear only after medical surgery. Players with such injuries usually require at least six months for rehabilitation process.

What they said in the RPL This Week

They say you have to be mad to be a goalkeeper and perhaps CSKA keeper 23-year-old Igor Akineev makes the rule and reinvents it.

During the week the national team keeper who broke into the Army Boys team at age 17 spoke to Sport Express.

Why he is so good: "I am an Aries, and that is why if something does not work out I won’t budge till I move ahead forcing my way through. "I easily forget my mistakes and don’t really need sympathy from the strangers. In everyday life support of my relatives is most important for me, in football – of the head coach.

The Great Escape: “Once I was going home and near the porch boys were playing football."

And suddenly I felt or saw out of the corner of my eye that something was flying from above. Some of the inhabitants did not like that boys were shouted in front of his/her windows."

"And he/she threw a brick from the window on the exact place where I was standing; miraculously I managed to dodge – if I [had been] a moment late the brick would strike right in the head."

Random: "Maybe those acquaintances woke these features in me who borrowed money from me and then miraculously forgot to give it back to me."

On Fame and Being Sulky: "I know that people reproach me of being to sulky, smiling too little and being not eager to give out autographs. Many supporters write to my blog and ask about it."

"But how should I behave after a game when about a hundred girls come up to me wanting to talk and take a photo with me? Do you expect me to stay with them and smile as a wally?"

"Unfortunately they don’t understand that there is a tired man in front of them and he is in no mood for smiling."

Outgoing Aliens
Last week the general director of Saturn, Boris Zhiganov was fired and after a couple of days later the head coach Jurgen Rober followed the director In the past month the Aliens have lost to away games at Rubin 5-0, and Spartak 4-0.

Frustrated Saturn Moscow forward Dmitry Kirichenko spoke to Russian website Sport Express about it.

On the sacking: "I was not at all surprised about these dismissals," he said "Both of them were easily predicted taking into account our performance and what was going on in the club.

“The coach was talking such nonsense that any normal man would understand everything. That is why they dismissed Rober. "With Gadzhiev (the former coach) we had bright games and rarely afforded failures. And when Rober reigned I cannot remember a single smart game.

When there were victories they were strained and laboured."

Too Much Theory for Alien

"I am a forward. That means I must score and assist. But according to Rober I was doing all wrong. I was supposed to get back and the oftener the better. It was more shocking because Saturn played with only one forward. "

At theoretical classes we were sitting and watching football. And he never even touched the field model.

“Any Russian specialist from the Premier League is by head and shoulders above Rober.”

I am no Rooney says Alien
"I never understood why he denounced the players. His last interview hurt the guys a lot. He gave mouth about many players and about me he said that I was no Rooney. "

That is obvious that I am no Rooney. It is foolish to demand such a game from me. But a coach should play on strong sides of his footballers and not seek for Rooneys and Cristiano Ronaldos. Alien hopes to stay up "

We have still 21 matches to play and in the standings the teams stay so thick that if a club wins two consecutive games it can advance six-seven places."

Arsen Kanokov President of the Kabardino-Balkaria republic in Russia and Spartak Nalchik’s unofficial owner Arsen Kanokov spoke about life in the RPL and again it’s courtesy of Sports Express

Bigger than wrestling

"Before our Spartak advanced to the Premier League the number one sport in our Republic was wrestling," said Kanokov. "

At first I was not interested in football at all. And even did not watch it on TV. And now when I turn on the Sport Channel I like watching such matches as Barcelona vs. Chelsea. I am starting to understand and analyse.”

Final minute heartbreak
"When we managed to concede on about 93rd minute (last matchday against FC Rostov) I was very angry and could have thrown the TV out of the window, I always tried to find out why the referee did this or that.

But now I am calmer and don’t react so violently.I

It’s about the fans
“I see how supporters worry and understand that I cannot let them live without football; who knows probably all the emotions that storm at the stadium would be left in the streets if it had not been for football?”

Con Stamocostas, Goal.com

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