Rakhimov comes to Amkar's aid

Russian club FC Amkar Perm have appointed 43-year-old Rashid Rakhimov as coach two weeks after ending Sergei Oborin's 13-season reign.

Russian success
Rakhimov, who had been out of work since the summer of 2004, takes over a side sitting 15th in the 16-team Premier-Liga, having earned his coaching spurs during two campaigns with Austrian club VfB Admira Wacker Mödling between 2002 and 2004. Twice a championship-winner as a player with FC Spartak Moskva, the Uzbekistan-born Rakhimov had gone from FC Lokomotiv Moskva to Spain's Real Valladolid before spending the last seven years of his playing career in Austria's Bundesliga at FK Austria Wien, Admira and SV Ried. He hung up his boots in 2001.