Dobrovolski steps up for Moldova

Anatol Teslev has stepped down as coach of the Moldovan national team with former Soviet Union player Igor Dobrovolski being named as his replacement.

Resignation accepted
The executive committee of the Football Association of Moldova today accepted Teslev's resignation, handing the reins to his former assistant. The 39-year-old Dobrovolski has been charged with leading Moldova until the end of the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign, with the option of a further two-year contract.

'No sense'
"There is no sense in talking about how many points we will get and where we will finish in our group," said the new coach. "The most important thing for me is to create a team and start earning points from match to match." Moldova are currently bottom of Group C with one point from four games.

Itinerant career
In his playing days, Dobrovolski represented FC Nistru Chisinau, FC Dinamo Moskva, Playas de Castellón FS, Servette FC, Genoa 1898, Olympique de Marseille, Club Atlético de Madrid and SC Fortuna Düsseldorf. More recently, he was player-coach at FC Tiligul Tiraspol recently.

International honours
In total, the striker earned 47 caps for the Soviet Union, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Russia, scoring ten goals. He won Olympic gold with the USSR at the 1988 Olympics and also played in the finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the 1992 and 1996 UEFA European Championships.