MOSCOW, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russian football authorities are counting on national team manager Guus Hiddink to help them in their 2018 World Cup bid.
"We hope that Guus Hiddink will become an ambassador for our bid to hold the 2018 World Cup in Russia," Russian Football Union (RFU) general director Alexei Sorokin told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
"We intend to hold talks with him as soon as he flies into Moscow for preparations for our qualifier against Finland," he added.
Russia face the Finns in a 2010 World Cup qualifier in Helsinki on June 10.
Sorokin also said that the RFU would also approach a number of other figures, "both Russians and foreigners," to promote Russia's bid to hold the tournament.
Hiddink has managed Russia since 2006, leading the team to the semifinals of Euro 2008. He took over at Chelsea in February on a temporary basis, but is due to return to coaching Russia full time after the London club's FA Cup final clash with Everton on May 30.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's sports minister to prepare the country's proposal for the right to host the 2018 World Cup.
Russia's main rival is likely to be England, which has not hosted a World Cup since 1966. Russia's bid may have been damaged by problems encountered by Euro 2012 joint hosts Poland and Ukraine in their preparations for the competition. Euro 2012 is the first time a major soccer tournament has been awarded to Eastern European nations.
The host countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be announced by FIFA in December 2010. Under FIFA's new rotation rules, the same continent cannot host consecutive World Cups, meaning that if England were awarded the 2018 tournament then Russia would not be eligible for the 2022 finals.
