Spartak call time on Cherchesov

'Unsatisfactory results'
The Moscow club cited "unsatisfactory results" as they explained their decision to dismiss the 44-year-old, with Wednesday's mauling in the battle of the two former Soviet giants coming in the wake of a disappointing 1-1 Russian Premier-Liga draw against struggling FC Khimki. The former Spartak, USSR and Russia goalkeeper had pledged to "take the blow" after the defeat against Dynamo, but the Spartak board and new general director Valeri Karpin decided to relieve him of his post. Cherchesov's assistant Sergei Rodionov will now prepare Spartak for Sunday's league match against FC Amkar Perm.

Controversial decision
Cherchesov, who played for FC Lokomotiv Moskva, 1. FC Dynamo Dresden and FC Tirol Innsbruck in between spells at Spartak, returned to the club in the summer of 2006 as sporting director, replacing Vladimir Fedotov as coach in June 2007 and leading the team to a second-placed finish in the league last season. The former FC Wacker Tirol coach leaves Spartak fourth in the Russian Premier-Liga, having courted controversy by allowing club stalwarts Yegor Titov and Maxym Kalynynchenko to leave Moscow in recent weeks.