Papers to be signed

The head coach of the Russian national team met with employers

Dick Advocaat, recently confirmed as the head coach of the Russian national team, arrived in Moscow, where he immediately met with the top officials of Russian football. At the House of Football, members of the RFU executive committee asked the Dutchman how he was going to live and work in Moscow, and in addition to the contract, they gave him a Code of Honor to sign - a document signed by everyone who happens to be near the office of the head of the Russian Football Union, Sergei Fursenko.

The Dutchman himself was somewhat taken aback by the viewings arranged for him. “I’m surprised how many people took part in choosing the new coach of the Russian national team,” he said, puzzled, as a crowd of journalists joined the dozen members of the executive committee in the meeting room at the House of Football. Dick Advocaat became even more embarrassed when the newly elected vice-president of the RFU, Alexey Miller, and the first vice-premier of the government of the Russian Federation, Viktor Zubkov, got ready for business after these words from the coach, and other members of the executive committee of the RFU followed them out of the hall. The lawyer worriedly tried to find out something from the translator, whether he had said anything unnecessary, and then thought about following the officials who were making their way through the dense formation of television cameras, but was stopped by the vigilant president of the Russian Football Union. Sergei Fursenko, leaning on the head coach of the national team, sat him back in his chair. The lawyer prepared for the second consecutive interrogation of the morning.

It turned out, however, that the Dutchman was well prepared for the exam. He readily said that the national team under him would play according to the same formation as Zenit two years ago or the Russian national team at Euro 2008 - 4-3-3. “If it brings success, then why not?” - the Lawyer asked rhetorical questions from time to time.

By the way, he remembered Zenit quite often - the St. Petersburg period of Dick Advocaat’s career was not in vain, and it carries with it not only the advantages of knowing the nuances of Russian football, but also a certain burden of problems and conflicts. In particular, Advocate was asked whether there would be a place in the national team for Alexander Kerzhakov and Vladimir Bystrov, who left St. Petersburg during Advocate's reign. “When I started working at Zenit, we sometimes had difficulties,” the Dutchman was frank. - But what happened, happened. The past has no meaning to me. This applies to everyone, including Kerzhakov and Bystrov.”

This also applies to Andrei Arshavin. The lawyer was reminded that it was he who deprived Zenit’s main star of the captain’s armband. The Dutchman did not recall in detail what disciplinary violation Arshavin was punished for. “I am confident that Andrei will cope with the role of captain in the national team,” Advokat took the first step towards the team leader.

The new head coach of the Russian national team will look for a common language directly in personal contact with the players no earlier than August. Before that, he will first travel around Europe, watching friendly matches of opponents in the Euro 2012 qualifying round, then fly to South Africa for the World Cup, and then begin selecting candidates for the national team. At the same time, the Advocate made it clear that there would not be so many newcomers. “I don't think I'll make many changes. The Russian team already has an excellent composition that can solve the most difficult problems,” said the Dutchman. He himself set one of these goals to win the 2012 European Championship. The president of the RFU, who was sitting next to him, immediately began to smile: the goal of becoming world champions in 2018 looks more realistic for now.

Andrey VDOVIN