KIEV, Dec 14 (Reutets) - Leonid Buryak is all set to become Ukraine's new national team coach after the executive board of the Ukrainian Football Federation (UFF) overwhelmingly voted for him on Friday.
UFF spokesman Valery Nikonenko said: 'Of the 21 board members, 19 voted in favour of Buryak with only one against and one abstention.
'On Saturday, the UFF congress has to approve this decision, but it should be a mere formality.'
Buryak, 48, who has worked as Ukraine assistant coach for the past six years, succeeeds Valery Lobanovsky, who is to step down after two years in charge.
The UFF had short-listed Buryak and Croatia's Miroslav Blazevic, who last month quit as Iran coach after failing to lead them to the World Cup finals.
Blazevic, 66, had been tipped as the front-runner after holding talks with UFF chief Hryhory Surkis on Wednesday, but Buryak prevailed.
Blazevic is well-known in Ukraine for coaching Croatia to victory over the former Soviet state in the World Cup playoffs in 1997, before taking them to a surprise third-place finish at the 1998 finals in France.
Lobanovsky led Ukraine to the brink of qualifying for their first World Cup finals last month only to lose out to Germany in the playoffs.
- NEWS