Zenit St. Petersburg name Mircea Lucescu as coach

Russia's Zenit St. Petersburg's football club on Wednesday confirmed that Romania's Mircea Lucescu has been appointed its chief coach.

According to the club's release, the contract has been concluded for two seasons with chances of an extension for another year.

"Zenit welcomes Mircea Lucescu to St. Petersburg and wishes him and the blue-white-sky-blues many victories," the release said.

Earlier, Lucescu's agent, Arkady Zaporozhanu said it was a full-fledged three-year contract.

Lucescu led the Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk since 2004. Under his guidance the Ukrainian team won the national championship eight times and Ukraine's Cup and Super Cup, six times.

Zenit's former coach, Andre Villas Boas, was appointed in March 2014. He concluded a contract till the end of the 2015-2016 season. In the autumn of 2015 he declared he would not prolong his contract with Zenit.

--IANS

sam/bg