Hiddink makes no secret of his friends in the highest
of places
Russia's coach talks exclusively to our correspondent about his regard
for Abramovich and the English game.
Peter Lansley
Guus Hiddink has been talking and listening for three hours
at a Uefa coaching congress to coincide with the European Under-21 Championship,
but when it comes to football, the Russia manager cannot resist the chance
to talk some more.
While chatting over David Beckham's renaissance, the approaching European
Championship qualifiers against England and how Russia can show Western
Europe the way to improve home-grown talent, he describes a relationship
with Roman Abramovich so marked in contrast to that Jose Mourinho shares
with the Chelsea owner that it only underlines the theory that, when his
contract expires after the Euro 2008 campaign, Hiddink's next port of
call could be Stamford Bridge.
Speculation persists that the Russian billionaire has 'parked' the former
Holland, South Korea and Australia manager in his own country, even paying
his wages, to resuscitate the national game and to stake first refusal
on the man who might have succeeded Sven-Goran Eriksson last summer if
the FA had handled the situation better.
'Chelsea? England? It's all rumours,' he said. 'I have my contact, of
course, but not regarding any position with Chelsea. They are doing what
they do; I enjoy very much working in Russia and I work until the end
of my contract.'
He meets Abramovich socially and cares about the legacy he is building
in Russia. 'Every now and then we have our contact, which is good and
very open,' Hiddink said. 'I like very much his attitude, his thinking.
He's very down to earth and I love to have this contact with him every
now and then.
'I have not made up my mind [where to work next] because I stick every
day to my job. After 2008, we will see what happens. And I am already
60 years of age. But I have the drive, the will to work with young people.
In our profession, you cannot look into the future too much.'
Last summer, it was suggested that Hiddink, with his record, was offended
at having to attend an informal interview. Would this preclude him becoming
England head coach in the future? 'No,' he said. 'But I respect [Steve]
McClaren and he is doing the job now. I have my normal contacts with people.
We'll see what the future brings.'
Russia and England could be battling for the second qualification place
from group E when they meet at Wembley on September 12 and in Russia on
October 17.
The fortitude displayed by Beckham after being sidelined at the Bernabeu
has impressed the former Real Madrid manager. 'I have respect for his
coming back because when he announced he was going to the United States,
he was rejected by Madrid, but he kept working and he gets back in the
team,' Hiddink said. 'It's the same now with England. He was dropped,
but he has the mentality to regain his position. I think that deserves
great respect.'
Hiddink loves the intensity surrounding English football. 'I would like
to get off the team coach and walk up to Wembley,' he said. 'It's a new
stadium, there will be a new atmosphere, but it's always attractive to
play England both because of the special atmosphere and because it's always
a tough game.
'But first we must play Macedonia, and Russia is a team that is being
renewed. One or two players are 28 and all the rest are no more than 24,
25, so it's a new team. So if we can make the European Championship finals,
it would be a tremendous achievement and help accelerate the improvements
to the infrastructure. If not, we have to go for [the World Cup in] 2010.'
With Hiddink at the helm? 'I want to initiate some improvements,' he said.
'They might not be for my era.'
Hiddink has just attended a congress asking 'Coaches: are you ready for
the future?' He cannot believe that a drafting system, as practised in
the NFL in the United States, would be the answer to European club football's
growing inequalities because promotion and relegation are integral, but
he does advocate a restriction on the number of foreign players to help
both clubs and national teams.
'Youth development is key,' he said. 'Last year in Russia, eight foreigners
were allowed to play for a team; it will go down to four by 2010. That
is very good. Clubs are thinking now how to improve their academies, how
to improve their scouting so that, in the near future, young Russian players
are coming up. Then you get your coaching education to its best level
possible. That might be a real advantage for Russia compared with Western
countries in the EU, where there must be free movement of labour.'
There was a strong call at the conference for 'Brussels to make an exception
on restraint of trade for football'. Hiddink concurs, although he can
see another Jean-Marc Bosman scenario.
'Of course, it would be good if this [quotient system] could work in Europe
because then you are obliging the club to think about the development
of youth players more,' he said. 'It's difficult, though, because the
moment the European national federations and the clubs stick to an agreement
regarding a restriction of, say, five or six foreigners, then as soon
as one of those players goes to Brussels and makes a case . . . I don't
know what would happen. But I do know it would be good for football.'
