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| | Russian Soccer, World Cup ~ Johnson's Russia List 5-29-02 |
 | | MOSCOW, May 29 (Reuters) - Former Russia striker Oleg Salenko has written off their hopes at the World Cup, blaming the state of the country's coaching system. |
 | | Salenko, who shot to fame at the 1994 World Cup in the United States where he ended the tournament as top scorer after a record five goals against Cameroon, told Sport-Express newspaper: "Russia's chances, even to qualify from their first-round group, are slight. |
 | | Despite avoiding the heavyweight contenders in the opening phase, Salenko says the squad assembled by national coach Oleg Romantsev, who also coaches Spartak Moscow, has no chance of emulating the 1988 Soviet Union side who reached the final of the European Championships. |
| www.cdi.org /russia/johnson/6278-3.cfm (343 words) |
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