Hiddink rejects Ivory Coast approaches over World Cup

Guus Hiddink will not coach the Ivory Coast at June’s World Cup finals in South Africa, the Dutchman said in a newspaper column on Saturday.

“I must admit that the Ivory Coast did not make the decision easy. Didier Drogba (who played under him at Chelsea) lobbied hard to get me and also (Ivory Coast Football Association President Jacques) Anouma came to me with an excellent proposal,” the Dutchman wrote in the Telegraaf newspaper.

It was announced last month that Hiddink, current head coach of Russia, will take over the Turkish team from August for the Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Hiddink said he would have taken the Ivory Coast position had it not been for the fact that he wanted to finish his contract with Russia, which expires in July, and then “focus on my new employer, Turkey”.

Hiddink has previously been in charge of the national teams of his native Netherlands, South Korea – both of whom he took to the World Cup semi-finals – and Australia before taking over as manager of Russia.

Former Ivory Coast coach Vahid Halilhodzic was axed after the team failed to make the African Cup of Nations semi-finals in January.