Torpedo appoint Ukrainian coach
Thursday, June 13, 2002
Article summary
FC Torpedo Kutaisi have appointed 49-year-old Ukrainian Olexandr Shtelin as their new coach.
Article body
Georgian champions FC Torpedo Kutaisi have appointed 49-year-old Ukrainian Olexandr Shtelin as their new coach.
Champions League hopes
"Shtelin will be in charge at least until the end of 2002/03 season. His main task as of now is to get us ready for [UEFA] Champions League", Torpedo team director Murad Kutateladze told uefa.com.
Coaching CV
A large part of Shtelin`s 23-year career as a coach has taken place overseas. The Ukrainian coached Tunisian clubs US Monastir and Etoile du Sahel, RFC Liege in Belgium, FC Tiligul Tiraspol in Moldova. In Ukraine, Shtelin was a head of scientific football research for Valery Lobanovskiy`s FC Dynamo Kyiv, as well as a coach CSCA Kyiv and FC Metalurg Zaporizhzhya.
Ukrainian reunion
In Kutaisi, Shtelin will have a Ukrainian reunion with striker Andriy Poroshin, who scored 17 goals and played a major part in Torpedo`s third successive title. The new appointment is the first ever foreign coach to be in charge of Torpedo, but the third foreigner currently in charge of a top-flight club. FC Dinamo Tbilisi is coached by Croatian specialist Ivo Susak, while Gianni Carnevali is in charge of FC WIT-Georgia Tbilisi.