Russia coach, Valery Gazzayev, has quit the National team after a poor showing by his players in their 2-1 home defeat to Israel yesterday. Gazzayev, under heavy pressure from media and fans to quit after a string of poor results, spoke with RFU president Vyacheslav Koloskov after blasting his team for a 'disgusting performance' in Wednesday's friendly international.
"Koloskov accepted his resignation," RFU spokesman Andrei Tarabrin told Reuters.
Soccer pundits said Gazzayev's assistant coach Alexander Borodyuk, a former Soviet international, was his most likely successor. Borodyuk, 40, played in two World Cups, in Italy in 1990 and in the United States four years later, and won a gold medal with the Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Gazzayev, 49, replaced Oleg Romantsev as national coach in July last year following Russia's dismal World Cup showing, and vowed to shed his predecessor's 'caveman' image. He began by discarding veteran players who had formed the backbone of the national team for much of the last decade.
Romantsev had been criticised by Russian media for selecting an ageing World Cup squad, for being overly cautious in his approach and for employing 'outdated tactics'.
The Republic of Ireland take on Russia in a vital Euro 2004 qualifier at Lansdowne Road on September 6th.
http://www.rte.ie/sport/2003/0821/soccer/russia.html
