Arsenal billionaire shareholder Alisher Usmanov has stepped in and given the Russian Football federation a loan of £4 million so that national team manager Fabio Capello can get his wages paid.
Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said on Thursday that Capello’s wages would be paid after having spoken with businessmen to help raise funds.
Reports suggest that Capello and the team’s general manager Oreste Cinquini were last paid in June 2014.
Sources close to the Arsenal billionaire have confirmed that he agreed to lend the money due to his role in the bid for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup, and the fact he was embarrassed that wages had not been paid to the bosses of the host nation team.
In their quest to be a part of Euro 2016 Russia is currently five points behind leaders Austria having won just one of their first four games, and one point behind second place Sweden and now face a tricky match away to Montenegro in March.
