Gullit sacked by Chechen club

Ruud Gullit’s tenure in charge of Chechen club Terek Grozny ended with his sacking minutes after a 1-0 defeat to Amkar Perm on Tuesday.

Dutchman Gullit, a former FIFA World Player of the Year, took over at the Russian Premier League club in January 2011, charged with bringing European football to the troubled state.

But Terek have managed just three wins from 13 matches this season under Gullit.

The former Chelsea and LA Galaxy coach was told by Chechen leader and Terek President Ramzan Kadyrov that if the team did not beat Amkar, he would be sacked for ‘thinking about bars and discotheques’ rather than football.

After a 1-0 defeat at the Zvezda Stadium, courtesy of a last-minute own goal from defender Sergey Omelyanchuk, Kadyrov proved true to his word, dismissing Gullit within moments of the final whistle.

“Gullit will no longer train Terek,” the Interfax news agency quoted Kadyrov as saying.

“Unfortunately, he was unable to prove his mettle as a trainer. Under his leadership, the team played exceptionally poorly this season.”

Gullit, who won two European Cups with AC Milan and the 1988 European Championships with the Netherlands, said after the match that he expected to be sacked regardless of the result.

“I don’t think it would have mattered if I had won or lost,” Gullit said.

The 48-year-old departs with Terek 14th in the Russian Premier League, three points and just two places off the foot of the table.