Fomenko chosen as new Ukraine coach

Mikhail Fomenko has been named as Ukraine's new national team coach and is charged with reviving the team's FIFA World Cup™ qualifying campaign. The announcement was made after a meeting of the national football federation FFU, Interfax news agency reported. The FFU members unanimously voted for the 64-year-old, who has previously coached Ukrainian sides Dynamo Kiev, CSKA Kiev as well as the Guinea national side. The former England and Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was the only other candidate for the post. Fomenko, who enjoyed a successful playing career in which he won the 1975 UEFA European Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup with Dynamo Kiev, signed a one-year contract, which can be extended for another two years if Ukraine qualify for Brazil in 2014. Fomenko told ffu.org.ua: "I want to thank the board and president of the FFU for their trust. I understand the responsibility entrusted in me and challenges that face the national team of Ukraine. "Our primary objective is to get to the finals of the World Cup in Brazil, and for this we need to take at least second place in our qualifying group." He succeeds Ukrainian footballing icon Oleg Blokhin, who announced he was leaving the post to take over Dynamo Kiev in September. Fomenko made 212 appearances in eight years with Dynamo during the 1970s and also won 24 international caps for the former Soviet Union. Ukraine are presently fifth in their qualifying group with just two points from three matches, eight points behind the group leaders Montenegro, although the Ukrainians have a game in hand on them.