The Russian Football Union (RFU) unveiled yesterday a star-studded list of candidates for the post of the country’s national manager with names including Fabio Capello, Harry Redknapp as well as home talent.
The 13-man list includes the names of former England manager Capello and ex-Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp, former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, Italian veteran Marcello Lippi and Argentinan national coach Marcelo Bielsa.
The list also contains the names of seven Russian coaches including Anatoly Byshovets, who led the then Soviet side to the 1988 Olympics gold medal, Valery Nepomnyashchy, who led Cameroon into the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals and Russia’s U-21 coach Nikolai Pisarev.
The new manager will be filling a post left vacant by the departure of Dutchman Dick Advocaat whose side were disappointingly knocked out of the Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine at the group stages.