Guus Hiddink Will Take Over as Head Coach of Russia

Dutchman Guus Hiddink will take over as coach of Russia after this year's World Cup, the Football Union of Russia said on Wednesday. The 59-year-old Hiddink, who led the Netherlands and South Korea to the semi-finals of the last two World Cups, is in charge of Australia in this year's event in Germany.

Hiddink had announced his intention to step down PSV Eindhoven as part-time Australia's coach early this year. So the offers poured in. Even if England head-coaching position will also be vacant by the end of this year's World Cup, the Russian Federation managed to convince Hiddink to head for Moscow.

The contract will be signed on Friday, in Moscow. The Russian Federation took this measure because they failed to qualify for this summer's World Cup, while Hiddink brought Australia to its first tournament since 1974.

"We worked very hard to find a candidate for this position. We met many specialists, including those from Russia, but we decided to go with Guus Hiddink," said Vitaly Mutko, Russian soccer chief.

Hiddink just clinched 19th PSV title last weekend. Since his arrival at PSV, he won 2 domestic titles and qualified for last year's quarter finals in UEFA Champions League.