Published: 19 November, 2009, 12:06
Edited: 4 December, 2009, 11:16
Russia’s national team coach Guus Hiddink says he’ll keep working with the team despite their loss to Slovenia in Word Cup 2010 playoffs on Wednesday.
”I am not leaving the Russian team. I have a contract till June 2010, and now is the time to weigh all pros and cons, to make a measured decision. Moreover, I already have a proposal on the extension of the contract from the Russian football authorities,” Guus Hiddink told Lifesport.ru.
Talking about the Maribor game against Slovenia, which his team lost 1-0, receiving two red cards from Terje Hauge, Hiddink decided not to blame the poor result on the referee.
“I have not seen the replays so far, but judging from the words of my players, the ref has made several blunders. And when he red carded Aleksandr Kerzhakov, he couldn’t see the situation in detail. However, I do not intend to explain our defeat by the referee’s errors. We had to score our goals and take it into the finals. No one prevented us from doing so. We have only ourselves to blame,” the Dutchman stressed.
Russia’s two-leg clash with Slovenia ended in a 2-2 draw, but the Slovenians progressed due to an away goal in Moscow.
“It is a very hurtful result. Everybody considered Russia as the favorite, but we were unable to show the game we can play. The score of the first game [which Russia won 2-1] affected the overall result, especially an unnecessary goal we conceded at the end of the match. On my own behalf and on behalf of the Russian team, I want to apologize before millions of football fans all over Russia for having failed to justify their hopes,” the 62-year-old said.
Guus Hiddink has been the most successful coach of the national team since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The 62-year-old led Russia to the semis of Euro 2008, which they reached by beating Hiddink’s native Holland in an epic quarterfinal.
He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract worth $2.4 million a year with Russia in 2006. There is a clause in the deal that it can be prolonged for another two years.