Russian FA back Capello despite World Cup woe

Capello was unable to guide Russia out of Group H after they failed to register a victory in their three matches in the Brazil showpiece.

The Italian came in for criticism after Belgium and Algeria progressed to the last 16 at their expense, and there were calls for the former England manager to be relieved of his duties.

But Capello, reportedly the highest-paid coach at the World Cup, is contracted to Russia until 2018 and Russian Football Union president Nikolai Tolstikh has backed the 68-year-old to remain at the helm.

Tolstikh is quoted as saying on Football Italia: "In September our team will participate in qualification for the European Championships, without forgetting preparations for our home World Cup (in 2018),

"The criticism and analysis is normal, but we need to focus on the improvement of the play of our team, so we need to be constructive.

"When we talk about the length of Capello’s contract, there are no termination clauses. Now we need to talk about something else."