Barely football Russia with fanfares, welcoming speeches and bread and salt met the new head coach of the national team Guus Hiddink, when it was time to say goodbye. The three-day trip came to an end, the Dutchman was leaving home - until his next visit. He categorically does not want to stay in Moscow for good, preferring to run from time to time. Izvestia tracked the movement of a distinguished guest in the country, which he made this time, and they offer to open a new sightseeing tour - "In Hiddink places."
July 17th
Guus Hiddink and his wife Elizabeth arrive at Sheremetyevo-2 Airport from Amsterdam. The head coach of the Russian national team is met by several employees of the RFU. Football Union President Vitaly Mutko expects a mentor in an office on Luzhnetskaya Embankment. Before heading to the hotel, Hiddink gives two interviews: one to correspondents of Channel One and Russia, who was allowed into the Sheremetyevo VIP-hall, and the other to all other journalists waiting for a coach on the street.
On the BMW 7 Series (the same car was provided to Hiddink and on his first spring arrival in Moscow), the national team coach leaves for the National Hotel and settles in a room worth more than one and a half thousand dollars a day. Having rested from the road and having lunch, the Dutchman goes to meet with Mutko. At seven in the evening, Hiddink, together with Mutko and his new assistant, Alexander Borodyuk, is having dinner at the Pushkin restaurant. By the way, in spring Hiddink was also taken to this place ...
July 18th
Early in the morning, the head coach of the Russian team again arrives at the RFU office. To warm up - another meeting with Vitaly Mutko, then communication with the technical staff of the team and the mentors of the youth teams. First, Borodyuk, who translates from German, helps Hiddink to talk with colleagues. A translator appears a little later, and Hiddink already speaks in more familiar English.
At lunch, the Dutchman goes to the Kremlin. No, he does not have a meeting with the President of Russia (although in the office on Luzhnetskaya, caring RFU officers already hung a portrait of the Supreme). It’s just that Hiddink is taken to museums, they show the Diamond Fund. The evening ends with dinner. With whom? All with the same ones - Vitaly Mutko and Alexander Borodyuk ...
July 19
In the morning, Hiddink and Mutko fly to St. Petersburg, where they must visit the central match of the Zenit tour - CSKA. This will be the first game of our championship that Hiddink will see live. At Pulkovo, the plane lands about 12 noon. Borodyuk has been in the northern capital for several hours: according to rumors, after the plane crash in Irkutsk, the national team’s head coach is trying to avoid air travel - and so he went to St. Petersburg by night train.
Before the game, Hiddink and his wife had an extensive cultural program: the Hermitage, Gostiny Dvor, a meeting with the sports asset of St. Petersburg. You don’t have to go anywhere, everything is nearby: the Dutchman lives in the Europa Hotel on Nevsky Prospekt. After the match at Petrovsky, which the guest found slow but not hopeless, he had another meeting. The most, perhaps, the most intriguing - with the head coach of CSKA Valery Gazzaev.
July 20
Hiddink’s day began with an introduction to Smena football school. The next stop is the Zenith base in Udelnaya. There, face to face, Hiddink meets with a compatriot and head coach of Zenit Dick Advocaat. Some artist must definitely respond to her with a historical canvas: one is talking enthusiastically about something, the other is listening carefully, propping his chin on his hand. Noble faces. Strong-willed look. The Dutch are discussing plans to save Russian football ...
In the evening, Hiddink and his wife flew to London for a farewell match by Denis Berkamp.
Russian team headquarters
Guus Hiddink - Head Coach
Alexander Borodyuk - head coach
Igor Korneev - translation coach
Andrey Grishanov - doctor
Oleg Sokolov, Mikhail Nasibov, Andrey Pronchev, Yuri Semenyutin - massage therapists
Victor Zinchenko, Victor Votolovsky - managers
Ilya Kazakov - press attaché
It is expected that the headquarters will include two specialists from the Netherlands - a manager and an analyst. In addition, it is possible that Rinat Dasaev will become the goalkeeper coach.
Chermen DZGOEV