MOSCOW, December 18 (R-Sport) – The 2013-14 Russian Premier League season is to finish a week earlier than planned to allow the national team maximum time to prepare for the World Cup.
The Russian Football Union's executive committee on Wednesday approved a request by head coach Fabio Capello to give the players an extra week's rest ahead of the June 12-July 13 tournament in Brazil.
The 30th and final round of Premier League games will now take place on May 11 as opposed to the originally scheduled May 18, the committee announced.
To accommodate the tightened schedule, the Russian Cup final will now be played on May 17 rather than May 8, a sacrifice made possible by the fact that the change only affects two teams rather than all 16 top-flight clubs.
Russia's first Group H game at the World Cup is on June 17 against South Korea. Capello's men then play Belgium in Rio de Janeiro on June 22 before finishing the group stage against Algeria on June 26.
Last week the Russian Premier League went on a three-month winter break, to resume in March.
