Kucherevskiy killed in Ukraine

Ukrainian football is in mourning after Evhen Kucherevskiy, the man who led FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk to the Soviet title, was killed in a car crash.

Road accident
The former coach, who celebrated his 65th birthday on 6 August, was driving to watch a reserve match in his capacity as Dnipro sporting director when his car collided with a truck. He was taken to hospital but died without regaining consciousness on Saturday.

True calling
After an unremarkable career as a goalkeeper with a number of Ukrainian-based Soviet second division sides, Kucherevskiy found his true calling as a coach. Starting with smaller outfits FC Kolos Nikopol and FC Sudostroitel, he joined Dnipro initially as reserve-team manager in 1986.

Sole command
Then handed sole control, he led the club through an incredible period in which modest Dnipro finished as runners-up in the Soviet Supreme League in 1987 - his first season in charge - before claiming the title in 1988, the cup in 1989 as well as a place in the 1989/90 European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-finals.

Foreign moves
He subsequently trained teams in Tunisia and Syria and moved to Russia to take over the national Under-21 squad. He returned to Dnipro as coach in November 2001, steering them to two third-placed league finishes and into the UEFA Cup, but stepped down to assume his current position in 2005.

Ringing endorsement
At the time of his retirement, club director Andriy Stetsenko said: "I think the whole of Ukrainian football should thank him. Dnipro's players contributed greatly to the national team's FIFA World Cup qualification and this has everything to do with Kucherevskiy."