The Russian football team has got the 10th coach over 20 years of its existence. On Monday it became known that Italian specialist Fabio Capello will head the national team. A contract will be concluded with him shortly until at least the end of the 2014 world championship. The contract details are still unknown, but according to some reports, Capello will be paid 5-6 million US dollars a year.
On Wednesday, the Russian national football team can get a new head coach, writes Komsomolskaya Pravda. Acting President of the Russian Football Union (RFU) Nikita Simonyan said that on Monday the discussed candidature of Italian Fabio Capello was finally approved, and on Wednesday, or at least on Thursday, the contract with him should be signed.
Capello who left the England national football team for ethical reasons a few months before the start of Euro 2012 (without his knowledge, the Football Association stripped John Terry of captaincy) has been seen by all as the best candidate for the post vacated by Dick Advocaat, the newspaper said. And now, according to Simonyan, all the questions of principle with the Italian have been settled, it remains only to fix some details. To this end, Fabio and his agent are to conduct the last negotiations in Moscow on Tuesday.
According to the publication, Capello’s salary will be less than the irritating for all seven million euro, which were paid to his predecessor Advocaat. However, his pay will be at a good European level worthy of a top coach. The Italian will earn annually around four million euro. If the Russian national team qualifies for the 2014 World Cup final, he will receive additional bonuses.
Nikita Simonyan told Rossiiskaya Gazeta that Capello arrived in Russia prepared: at the meeting he presented a program that “meets all the requirements, that is aimed at the systematic and long-term development of football at all levels.” Unlike his predecessors Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat, Capello intends to “settle” in Russia. The newspaper recalls that the Dutch had visited Russia from time to time and only before the national team matches. One of Fabio’s assistants will stay together with him in Moscow, and the others rest will be arriving from time to time.
The financial details of the contract are so far unknown, Kommersant writes. However, well-known agent Shumi Babayev who represents the interests of Fabio Capello in Russia, said that “he has not put forward unimaginable financial terms.” According to Babayev, they talked about a salary that is “significantly lower” than the Italian received at his previous job in the England team: then Capello earned 6.5 million euro per year. According to some estimates, in Russia he will be paid about 5-6 million US dollars. In addition, Fabio Capello has already named the most suitable candidature of his assistant. According to him, the famous in the recent past Russian football player Alexander Mostovoi could become his assistant.
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NORTH KOREA PARTY STEPS UP PRESSURE ON ARMY
Chief of the General Staff of the North Korean People’s Army (KPA) Ri Yong Ho has been relieved of all his duties. In addition to his main office, he lost his job in the leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). Officially, an illness was named as the reason for his resignation. According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta, analysts doubt this version. In their view, the resignation may mean that the party leadership or Kim Jong Un himself have decided to take the levers of control of the armed forces into their hands. It is not ruled out that serious frictions have begun in the entourage of the young leader.
The report on the dismissal of Ri was published after a meeting of the Politburo of the WPK that was held on Sunday, the publication stresses. The report does not specify who will become the new Chief of the General Staff. An official of the South Korean Unification Ministry described the decision made in Pyongyang as unusual. Because it was announced without delay – right after the Politburo meeting.
In an interview with Nezavisimaya Gazeta head of the Centre for Korean Studies of the Institute for Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Zhebin said: “North Korea’s history suggests that it is not the case of physical weakness of Ri Young Ho. He was 69 years old. And the country’s leadership includes about 20 persons of older age. Many of them were ill, but formally retained their positions, their work was done by their deputies, etc. The same could be done for Ri, but he was relieved of all his duties, including the posts of member of the presidium of the Politburo of the WPK Central Committee and vice chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission. It is not ruled out that the chief of staff failed to fall into step with the closest associates of the supreme leader Kim Jong Un. This is primarily Choe Ryong Hae who three months ago was appointed Chief of the General Political Department of the armed forces and introduced to the presidium of the Politburo of the WPK Central Committee.
According to the table of ranks established under Kim Jong Il, the head of this department ranks first in the military hierarchy, followed by the chief of the general staff, then the defence minister. Choe was appointed chief of the Political Department. In fact, as a result of the reshuffle the control over the army was transferred from the hands of the professional military to the political commissioners appointed by the party. The fact that Choe and other representatives of the party bureaucracy were assigned high military ranks testifies to this.
The course towards the strengthening the party role is confirmed in a New Year editorial published by the official WPK organ Rodong Sinmun. The newspaper emphasises that the Army remains the “bulwark of the revolution,” but it accomplishes this task according to the will of the party,” concluded the expert.
Observers in South Korea and the West say that a split has developed in Pyongyang’s ruling pyramid. Kim Jong Un is removing those whose loyalty he doubts.