Dick Advocaat made the right decision to announce his resignation as Russia coach before Euro 2012, CSKA Moscow and Russia defender Alexei Berezutsky told RIA Novosti on Monday.
Advocaat said Monday he would step down after Euro 2012 following two years in charge, in comments reported by Russian daily Sport-Express on Monday.
Trying to hide his intentions until after the tournament would have hurt the team, Berezutsky said.
“By announcing his decision early, before the tournament, he behaved honestly in relation to the team,” he said.
“It’s impossible to hide decisions like this and sooner or later people would have found out about it. It’s good that they found out from the coach himself. There won’t be any innuendo.”
Berezutsky compared Advocaat to Luis Aragones, who announced his resignation as Spain coach before Euro 2008, which Spain went on to win, and suggested Russia would also weather the storm.
“Remember the Spaniards when Aragones went to the tournament in 2008 and everyone knew he’d gone after the tournament. It didn’t influence anything and I’m sure that’s how it’ll be with us.”
Berezutsky’s twin brother Vasily Berezutsky told RIA Novosti earlier Monday that a Russian coach should replace Advocaat, while the brothers’ CSKA and Russia teammate Sergei Ignashevich warned against appointing foreigners without experience of working in Russia in comments to RIA Novosti.
Reports in the Russian media have claimed that Advocaat may be seeking a return to club coaching.
Advocaat won the Dutch title with PSV Eindhoven in 1996 before taking two Scottish titles with Rangers.
Before taking the Russia job, he was coach of Zenit St. Petersburg, where he won the 2007 Russian championship and beat Rangers to win the UEFA Cup in 2008.
Euro 2012 runs from June 8 through July 1. Russia will face the Czech Republic, Poland and Greece in the group stage.
