Gazzaev honours CSKA exit promise

Valeri Gazzaev, the most decorated coach in PFC CSKA Moskva's history, confirmed he will be leaving the club after his charges won their fourth consecutive match in the UEFA Cup group stage at AS Nancy-Lorraine on Thursday.

'Wrapped in gold'
The capital outfit had already qualified for the knockout phase but ended their last match of the year with a 4-3 victory, after which the focus fell squarely on Gazzaev's post-match press conference. Club president Evgeni Giner had announced back in July that the 54-year-old would be stepping down and despite rumours suggesting he may stay on after all, the CSKA trainer proved to be a man of his word. "I am leaving a great group of people that really believe in themselves," he announced. "I believe the new coach will get a team wrapped in gold."

Coaching start
A former striker with FC Lokomotiv Moskva, FC Dinamo Moskva and FC Dinamo Tbilisi, Gazzaev took his first coaching position at FC Spartak Ordzhonikidze in 1989. He then took over the Dinamo Moskva helm between 1991 and 1993, before leading FC Alania Vladikavkaz to their sole league success in 1995. A return to Dinamo followed next in 1999, but Gazzaev left for CSKA two years later, where he replaced caretaker coach Aleksandr Kuznetsov.

First spell
His first spell at the club lasted two years and coincided with a stint coaching the Russian Under-21 and senior teams, but Gazzaev was still able to seal Russian Cup glory in 2002 and a league crown the following season. Defeat by lowly Macedonian outfit FK Vardar in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round came as a shock, however, and three months later Gazzaev was replaced by Portuguese trainer Artur Jorge.

Second coming
With his replacement was hardly given time to settle, Gazzaev was back in the dugout two weeks before CSKA kicked off their next European bid. This time, his charges managed to finish third in their UEFA Champions League section and transferred to the UEFA Cup, which they eventually won by beating Sporting Clube de Portugal 3-1 in the final. It was a historic victory – the first time a Russian club had lifted a major European trophy – and they followed it up with the Russian Cup eleven days later and the championship later that year.

July statement
Since then, CSKA have collected silverware every season, securing a domestic hat-trick in 2006, retaining the Russian Super Cup the next year and winning the Russian Cup in 2008 by defeating FC Amkar Perm on penalties. Two months after that last trophy, Giner revealed that Gazzaev would move on at the end of the following season and the man himself was quick to confirm the news. "It doesn't matter where the team end up in the league – I'm leaving even if we win the title," he said.

'Tired'
"The reason for me quitting is just that I am tired," he explained at the time. "CSKA have won everything going in the last few years. It's time to change something at the club and I asked our president to let me go. He then asked me to stay until the end of the season and I couldn't say no to a man with whom I have had such a warm relationship all this time." Gazzaev's men began the season badly but recovered to finish runners-up, before recording four straight wins in the UEFA Cup group stage. With his team playing some fantastic football, there were suggestions the talk of quitting had been premature, but Gazzaev dispelled any lingering doubts on Thursday and fully deserves a rest as the only man to have coached in the Russian league every season since the break-up of the Soviet Union.