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Hiddink: Russia Must Be United

Reuters

MOSCOW — Russia must avoid the internal problems that have plagued them at major tournaments in the past if they are to do well at Euro 2008, coach Guus Hiddink said on Saturday.

Starting with the 1994 World Cup, Russia’s first international competition as an independent nation after the break-up of the Soviet Union, bitter squabbles and infighting have proved the team’s downfall.

“I know very well what happened in 1994,” Dutchman Hiddink told Reuters in an interview on the eve of Russia’s departure for their Euro 2008 training camp in Germany.

Hiddink’s assistant coaches, Alexander Borodyuk and Igor Korneyev, were on the 1994 World Cup team that was rocked by a seven-player boycott, led by captain Igor Shalimov, after a public row with coach Pavel Sadyrin.

“Alex and Igor have told me what went wrong in 1994 so obviously we don’t want these things to happen now,” Hiddink said.

Similar problems developed at Euro ‘96 when Russia coach Oleg Romantsev sent Sergei Kiryakov home after accusing his leading striker of undermining the team’s morale.

After their dismal showing in England, Romantsev blamed two other senior members of the squad, goalkeeper Dmitry Kharin and winger Andrei Kanchelskis, for stirring up trouble.

The players in turn accused Romantsev of heavy drinking and poor tactics, saying the team lacked adequate preparations.

There was more of the same during the 2002 World Cup when Romantsev once again failed to guide his team past the first round.

Two years later at Euro 2004, Romantsev’s former long-time assistant Georgy Yartsev caused shockwaves back home by sacking his most experienced and influential player Alexander Mostovoi from the squad after one game.

Russia became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament in Portugal.

Since taking over the Russia job in July 2006, Hiddink has been able to avoid the problems his predecessors have had.

Having coached the Netherlands, South Korea and Australia at major championships, the Dutchman said he knew the importance of having a positive atmosphere in the team.

“I had a similar problem at Euro ‘96 with Edgar Davids when I coached the Netherlands. Having won the European Cup with Ajax the year before, he was about to join AC Milan that summer so playing at Euro ‘96 was very important for him,” Hiddink said.

“But I sent him home after he made a big fuss for sitting out our second game. He was a key member on our team, not a young player, nevertheless I didn’t hesitate to drop him, otherwise the team’s morale would have been destroyed.”

Hiddink recalled Davids for the 1998 World Cup, however, and the midfielder paid back his coach by scoring a last-minute goal to give the Dutch a 2-1 win over Yugoslavia in the second round.

“He scored the winning goal and we embraced afterwards. It was a very dramatic moment for both of us.”

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