Krasnozhan replaces Petrescu at Kuban

Moscow - Russia B team coach Yuri Krasnozhan will replace ex-Chelsea player Dan Petrescu as coach of club side FC Kuban, team president Alexander Tkachev said Thursday.

Petrescu announced his resignation to the Kuban board Friday, and it was officially announced on Tuesday.

Petrescu has been linked to the vacant Dynamo Moscow post, and Tkachev said Tuesday that he believed the Romanian had an offer “to lead a top club” in the Russian Premier League.

“The new Kuban coach will be Yuri Krasnozhan. He’ll be presented to the team today,” said Tkachev, who is also the governor of the Krasnodar region where Kuban are based.

“I think that Yuri Anatolevich (Krasnozhan) is the most worthy replacement for Dan Petrescu and an indisputable authority in the world of football. We expect good results.”

Krasnozhan’s last job was at big-spending Anzhi, where he spent less than two months without playing a competitive game before being replaced by Guus Hiddink in February.

His previous jobs include spells at Spartak Nalchik and Lokomotiv Moscow.

Krasnozhan has worked with the Russia B team since last year and coached the team in their 4-0 win over the Belgian under-19 side Wednesday.

Nikita Simonyan, the acting head of the Russian Football Union, said that Krasnozhan would continue as Russia B coach for the time being and that the issue would be resolved when a new union president is voted in.

Krasnozhan’s first game in charge of Kuban will be in the Russian Premier League against Alania Vladikavkaz Monday.