MOSCOW, February 27 (R-Sport) – Fabio Capello’s request to have the Russian Premier League domestic fixture list end on May 11 has been rebuffed, giving his national team slightly less time to prepare for the World Cup in Brazil.
League bosses had warned that the Italian’s proposal would likely go unheeded after he made it in December, and confirmed on Thursday that May 15 would be the 30th and final round of games.
The Russian Premier League said on Twitter that voting on the issue was unanimous, adding that the Russian Cup final would be May 8 and the promotion-relegation playoffs May 18 and 22.
After guiding Russia to its first World Cup since 2002, Capello, 67, was rewarded with a new deal that takes him through the home edition in 2018 and also grants him extensive power over how the domestic game is run.
The World Cup gets under way on June 12. Russia is Group H with Belgium, South Korea and Algeria. Capello has set up friendlies against Armenia next Wednesday and Tunisia on June 6 to prepare.
