The Russian Football Union confirmed on Saturday that Guus Hiddink will step down as national team coach in June, but the Dutchman apparently caught out his employers with the revelation in a newspaper column earlier in the day.
The Dutchman revealed he would be leaving in a footnote to his weekly column for the Dutch De Telegraaf newspaper, and the impromptu announcement was apparently not coordinated with the Russian Football Union (RFU).
When contacted by journalists on Saturday, RFU director general Alexei Sorokin said the organization would only issue a statement after checking the report.
Within 45 minutes an official statement was issued thanking Hiddink for his work as Russia's trainer, during which time he invigorated the national side, inspiring them to the semifinals of Euro 2008.
"Guus Hiddink has informed RFU President Sergei Fursenko of his resignation from his post as head coach of Russia after the expiration of his current contract," the press release said. "The management of the RFU expresses to Hiddink its sincere gratitude for the great and good work he has done while head coach of Russia."
The maverick trainer broke the news in one paragraph at the end of his De Telegraaf column.
"Finally, a word about my future as coach of the Russian national soccer team," Hiddink wrote. "After a very pleasant conversation with the new [RFU] president, it was decided that we will part ways after the expiration of my contract on June 30."
Hiddink said the decision had been made now to give the RFU time to appoint a successor before qualifying begins for the Euro 2014 tournament in Ukraine and Poland.
Fursenko was elected president of Russian football's governing body on February 3, and met with Hiddink the following day.
Noting the "significant professional contribution" the Dutch coach made to the "development of Russia's football in general," the RFU said it respected Hiddink's decision, praising him for his professionalism in making the decision early and for using "the remaining time for the benefit of Russia's football."
The search now begins for a new coach, with Fursenko's predecessor Vitaly Mutko - now Russian sports minister - declaring on Wednesday that Russia's next coach should be homegrown.
"I am in favor of Russian-born coaches, people who understand our way of thinking," Mutko said.
Despite his Euro 2008 success, Hiddink was criticized throughout the World Cup qualifying campaign for spending too little time in Russia and being out of touch with the domestic game.
He was for most of the first half of 2009 in a job-share with Roman Abramovich's Chelsea and has been linked with several jobs since Russia's defeat to Slovenia in November's two-legged World Cup qualifier.
MOSCOW, February 13 (RIA Novosti)
