Three-time champions Germany qualified for the World Cup finals with a 1-0 victory away to Group Four rivals Russia on Saturday, thanks to a first-half winner from striker Miroslav Klose. The visitors had debutant Jerome Boateng sent off in the 69th minute, but Joachim Low's side held on to establish an unassailable four-point lead with one match still to play. The Russians will now have to go to the playoffs next month for the eight best second-placed teams, with the ...

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink insists he will leave the London club at the end of the season --- but says winning the Champions League would be the perfect ending to his short spell at Stamford Bridge. In an exclusive interview with CNN's Pedro Pinto, the Dutchman insisted he remained committed to leading Russia to next year's World Cup finals in South Africa and would return to the post of full-time national manager when his Chelsea contract ends next month. "Although ...

Chelsea posted losses of £65.7 million ($93.91m) as they were left to count the cost of managerial departures. The results for the financial year ending on June 30, 2008 revealed that £23.1 million ($33.02m) had been paid in compensation to former Blues managers Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant and five coaching staff. They do not include the payout that Luiz Felipe Scolari is set to receive, reported to be in the region £8 million ($11.44m), following his sacking this ...

English Premier League side Chelsea confirmed Thursday that Guus Hiddink will take charge until the end of the season following the dismissal of Luis Felipe Scolari. The veteran Dutchman currently coaches the Russian national team, which he led to the semifinals of last year's European Championship. Chelsea said it thanked the Russian Football Union for its "understanding and cooperation." It was unclear whether Hiddink would continue as Russian coach. Asked if he could combine both high-profile jobs in an ...

Chelsea said on Tuesday that they had been given permission to talk with Guus Hiddink about taking charge at the Premier League club until the end of the season. The Dutchman has emerged as the clear favorite to replace the sacked Luis Felipe Scolari, but his involvement with the Russian national team is a stumbling block. A statement on Chelsea's official Web site www.chelseafc.com said they had been cleared to open negotiations with Hiddink. "Chelsea can confirm that we have ...