Petrescu quits Russian club Kuban
Reuters - Tuesday 14 August 2012, 11:20
Former Romania and Chelsea
defender Dan Petrescu has quit as coach of Russian Premier
League club Kuban Krasnodar, he said on Tuesday.
"I've been here three years and I've done everything
possible, the best I could," the 44-year-old was quoted as
saying by the club's website.
Kuban's wealthy owner Oleg Mkrtychan said he was taken by
surprise at Petrescu's resignation.
"Right after our win over [city rivals] Krasnodar [last
Friday], Petrescu came to me and said he wanted to leave. I had
never expected to hear him say this," said Mkrtychan.
"I'm very sad to lose Petrescu but we must respect his
decision because he has done great things for this club."
The 2-1 victory in the Krasnodar derby lifted Kuban to
eighth place in the table with six points from four games.
Petrescu was named Kuban coach in December 2009 and the
following season the side from the Black Sea region won a
promotion to Russia's top flight.
He extended his contract until 2015 in November after
guiding the club to the top half of the league table.
The new contract included improved terms for Petrescu after
he was hailed as "our best player" by the club's bosses.
"I can be proud of all the things we have done here but now
I need a new challenge," the Romanian said.
In an interview with Reuters last year, Petrescu said he
hoped to return to Chelsea in the future.
"I'll never forget the time I spent at Stamford Bridge so my
dream is to return there as coach or manager one day," he said
then.