Russian President Vladimir Putin defended national team coach Guus Hiddink and said there were too many foreigners playing in Russia’s domestic league, AP reports.

Putin, speaking Wednesday in his annual televised question-and-answer session, said the Dutch coach had a proven record.

“It’s not about the new coach, it’s about the way soccer is organized in Russia,” Putin said. “The coach that came to Russia to work on contract basis is a good specialist and he proved it in practice by working in various countries in the world.”

Hiddink, who was hired in April to coach Russia even though he was still the coach of Australia, has led both the Netherlands and South Korea to the World Cup semifinals.
This year, he took Australia to the second round, where it lost to eventual champion Italy on a late penalty.

Russia qualified for the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 European Championship but failed to advance to the second round. The team failed to reach this year’s tournament in Germany and has one win and two losses in three Euro 2008 qualifiers under Hiddink.

Putin suggested that the Russian league was the problem, and that it should impose a quota on foreign players.

“This number should be limited, because when a national team is being composed, there is nothing to compose it from,” Putin said. “This excessive quantity of (foreign) players suppresses the growth of young and talented players.”

Precise figures were not immediately available, but several Russian clubs have experienced an influx of foreign players.

Last year, CSKA Moscow became the first Russian team to win a European trophy. Brazilian players Daniel Carvalho and Vagner Love scoring two of the three goals against Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Cup final.

Putin also said Russia lacks soccer fields and that more attention should be devoted to children who want to play sports, especially soccer.

Popularity: 1% [?]