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Capello’s contract not behind postponement of Russian football budget

Approval of the budget was moved since not everything is ready - Russian Football Union vice-president

MOSCOW, January 27. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Football Union (RFU) has postponed the approval of its 2014 budget, scheduled for January 28, and the decision has nothing to do with the recently signed new contract with Italy’s coach of the Russian national team Fabio Capello, the union’s vice president said on Monday.

“The approval of the budget was moved since not everything is ready,” Nikita Simonyan said in an interview with Itar-Tass. “There are some things, which still require additional work, but this decision has nothing to do with Fabio Capello’s contract.”

The RFU initially said that the 2014 budget will be considered and approved at a session of the union’s executive board on January 28, but the issue disappeared on Monday from the agenda of the session.

Last Friday, the RFU announced that it signed a new contract with Capello to coach the Russian national side until the end of the 2018 World Cup, which will be hosted by Russia. The sum of the contract was not revealed, however Russia’s television channel Dozhd voiced the annual sum of about nine million euros ($12.3 million).

Capello was named the head coach of the Russian national football team in July of 2012, replacing Dutch manager Dick Advocaat at the post. With the Italian manager at the helm of the national team, Russia had qualified for the 2014 World Cup for the first time in the last 12 years, taking the first place in its Group F.