Russia did not win a single game at the World Cup and now coach Fabio Capello must appear before parliament to explain why the team performed horribly. From The Daily Mail:
The head of the State Duma’s Sports Committee, Igor Anansikh, says he will demand Capello explain to lawmakers how he intends to improve the Russian side and make them more competitive.
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Russian politician Oleg Pakholkov has also demanded that the Italian return all – or at least half – of the £10m he has received from the Russian Federation for the delivery of a ‘shameful’ result.
Anansikh said this was the weakest Russian team in almost 20 years, but Capello was quick to defend himself and the team.
“With this team we got to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years,” he said. “I think I did a good job so far and it is a pity that we could not go forward.”
It seems pretty harsh, but it is not a secret that Russian President Vladimir Putin values sports and athletics. The man is often photographed while engaged in martial arts or hockey. He spent over $51 billion for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the unused funds will restart the old Soviet fitness program called the GTO.
Russia hosts the 2018 World Cup and Capello signed a contract in January wedding him to the Russian team until 2018. This means he will be Russia’s coach to prepare for the World Cup. Putin’s vanity cannot be tarnished with a poor showing of the host team.