• Sergei Fursenko resigns after Russia's failure at Euro 2012
• 'I would like to apologise to our fans for such a result'
Russia's football association chief executive, Sergei Fursenko, has resigned following the country's poor showing at Euro 2012.
The Kremlin announced the decision late on Monday night and said it followed a meeting between Fursenko and the country's president Vladimir Putin, where the two close friends discussed Russia's failure to reach the quarter-finals in what has been taken as a massive national disappointment.
"I would like to apologise to our fans for such a result," Fursenko said. "I have taken a difficult decision — to step down as head of the Russian Football Union."
Russia failed to advance pass the group stage, knocked out by Greece in a surprise upset. The Russia captain Andrey Arshavin faced a storm of criticism inside Russia for initially blowing off fans' disappointment and was forced to apologise last week for his side's poor showing.
Although it was expected that someone would take the fall for Russia's loss, Fursenko's exit came as a surprise.
"I have a feeling there is more to his resignation," said Vyacheslav Koloskov, a former head of the football union and a former Fifa vice president. "Just three or four days ago, Fursenko said he was looking for a new coach, meaning he had no plans to resign. Something must have happened that made him change his mind," he told local media. Read More
انسخ الكود التالى و ضعه فى موقعك او مدونتك.
