Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala have sacked their coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev, the big-spending club announced on Thursday.
Anzhi, based in the Dagestan republic capital, are owned by Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov -- an oil and metals magnate.
They have made a series of marquee signings, the most recent the signing of Cameroon international striker Samuel Eto'o in a reported 21-million-euro ($30.3-million) deal with Inter Milan in August.
Russian international left winger Yuri Zhirkov and 1994 World Cup winner Roberto Carlos from Brazil also feature in the side which are placed seventh in the table, 11 points behind leaders Zenit St Petersburg.
The tiny club was promoted to the top flight after a seven-year absence in 2009 and last year finished 11th in the 16-team league.
Confirming Gadzhiev's departure a statement from Anzhi reported: "The club would like to express its gratitude to the coach for his work with Anzhi," the club official site stated.
"We hope that his knowledge and experience will serve to further the future development of football in Dagestan."
Gadzhiev's assistant Andrei Gordeyev will prepare the team for the upcoming domestic league matches together with Brazilian veteran Roberto Carlos.
Anzhi players live and train in Moscow for security reasons and only visit the Caspian Sea city for home matches.
Source: AFP
