Capello set to seal deal with Russia

MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse

The Russian Football Union (RFU) yesterday appointed coach Fabio Capello as new national manager to revive the flagging fortunes of the team after its flop at Euro 2012.

“Today we decided to appoint Capello as our national team’s new manager,” the RFU deputy president Nikita Simonyan told ITAR-TASS news agency. “We expect him to come to Moscow in the nearest future to finalise the details of his contract and sign it.”

“I think this will happen on Wednesday or Thursday,” said Simonyan, who is acting chief of the RFU after previous head Sergei Fursenko resigned last month.

The 66-year-old Italian will be the successor to Dick Advocaat whose side were disappointingly knocked out of the Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine at the group stages.

The last days have seen rumors in Russia that Capello was the RFU’s first choice for taking over the national squad and leading it into the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign after Advocaat’s resignation.

Capello has previously coached AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid, winning domestic titles with each one, before becoming England manager in 2007.

Under Capello, England qualified for Euro 2012 before the Italian resigned after falling out with Football Association chiefs after he stood by John Terry as skipper despite the Chelsea man being embroiled in a racism trial which ultimately saw the defender acquitted.