Support The Moscow Times!
Contribute today

Former National Soccer Team Coach Hiddink to Head Dagestan Club

The former manager of the Russian national soccer team, Dutchman Guus Hiddink, will sign a contract worth 15 million euros to coach the Anzhi Makhachkala football club in Dagestan, owned by secretive billionaire Suleiman Kerimov.

Dutch sports website Voetbal International broke the news Friday.

During his tenure as manager of the national team from 2006 to 2010, Hiddink led Russia to the semifinals in the 2008 European championships. He left after the team failed to make the 2010 World Cup.

Kerimov, a native of Dagestan, has poured money into the club since buying it last year, acquiring big-name talent like Roberto Carlos, who led the Brazilian national team to a World Cup title, and Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o, considered one of the world's best players. Eto'o earns more than 10 million euros a season with Anzhi.

The billionaire owner, a financial investor thought to have close ties to the Kremlin, has also spent 100 million euros on a new stadium for the club and plans to fork out another 600 million euros for a second arena that can hold 45,000 spectators.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more

Ukraine War

In Photos: Ukraine's Mariupol After 2 Years of Russian Occupation

The Ukrainian port city was all but destroyed in a harrowing Russian siege at the outset of the Kremlin's invasion.
1 Min read
under scrutiny

Moscow ‘Naked Party’ Organizer Fined for ‘Discrediting’ Russian Army

Anastasia Ivleeva was fined for an Instagram post from March 2022 in which she called for Russian-Ukrainian talks to end the conflict.
1 Min read
'we will get our way'

Kremlin Says Ukraine Access to ATACMS Will Not Impact Outcome of Conflict

"We will get our way. But it will cause more problems for Ukraine itself."
1 Min read
state treason

Russian Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Planning To Fight for Kyiv

"He was motivated by the fact that, since the start of the operation in Ukraine, he did not support the politics of Russia's leadership," the FSB statement...
1 Min read