SOCCER-RUSSIA/CAPELLO Russia dumps Capello as coach before World Cup finals

Record ID: 146687

  • Title: SOCCER-RUSSIA/CAPELLO Russia dumps Capello as coach before World Cup finals
  • Date: 14th July 2015
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JULY 14, 2015) (REUTERS) ENTRANCE TO RUSSIAN FOOTBALL UNION BUILDING SIGN ON WALL READING (Russian): 'ENTRANCE OF FOOTBALL UNION OF RUSSIA' PRESIDENT OF RUSSIAN FOOTBALL UNION, NIKITA SIMONYAN, STARTING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) PRESIDENT OF RUSSIAN FOOTBALL UNION, NIKITA SIMONYAN, SAYING: "With regard to the second (question) about the head coa
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2015 13:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA52QHWU4V5VGZYTHDEZMYVM7PL
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The Russian Football Union (RFU) said on Tuesday (July 14) it had ended its contract with national team coach Fabio Capello, three years before the country hosts the 2018 World Cup finals.
    It did not immediately name a successor for the 69-year-old Italian though local media have quoted sources as saying CSKA Moscow coach Leonid Slutsky is likely to take over.
    "With regard to the second (question) about the head coach. Mutual consent has been reached on the termination of our cooperation," said Nikita Simonyan, the RFU's acting president, adding that a new coach is likely to be chosen until the end of the month.
    "With regard to the new coach, I can say it will be a Russian coach. I do not think we will dwell on it for too long - I think two weeks maybe, by the end of the month, or even sooner," he said.
    Capello, who managed England at the 2010 World Cup, took over as Russia coach in July 2012 and had extended his contract until the end of the 2018 tournament.
    He took the team to the World Cup finals in Brazil last summer but Capello's side were knocked out in the group stages.
    The team's form has not improved since then and they suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Austria in their Euro 2016 qualifier on June 14, leaving them third in Group G with eight points from six games.
    The RFU had been holding talks with Capello over his contract since late June. Russian sport news agency R-Sport on Tuesday put the level of the compensation at 930 million roubles ($16.34 million).
    Simonyan said last week that all debts owed to Capello until the end of the 2014/15 season had been paid off.
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