Moscow, Oct 18 (IANS) Italian coach Fabio Capello has played a key role in the success of Russia’s national football team, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said.
During the qualification tournament for the World Cup, Russia won all four games against Azerbaijan, Portugal, Northern Ireland and Israel and retained the first place in the Group F, reports Xinhua.
“Capello is a very serious expert. Also I like the new faces appearing in the team. It is very important,” Mutko told a professional sports newspaper Wednesday.
Capello, 66, was named new coach of the Russian national football team in July. His predecessor, Dutchman Dick Advocaat, resigned after Russia suffered an early exit at the Euro 2012.
Capello led England to the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine but fell apart with the Football Association chiefs on skipper John Terry’s role in the squad, which resulted in his resignation
