Anzhi coach Guus Hiddink will receive a hefty bonus for guaranteeing the club European football next season, but it is nowhere near the €1 million reported in the Dutch media, the big-spending club said Tuesday.
Anzhi secured fifth place at the very least in the Russian Premier League by beating Rubin Kazan 3-1 at home Sunday, granting them a spot in Europe's secondary competition for only the second time in their history.
A report in Voetbal International claimed Hiddink, who joined in February on an 18-month contract, netted a €1 million reward, which will double if the club pulls off a last-day miracle to qualify for the Champions League.
"Guus, of course, will be rewarded, but the figures referred to in the reports of Dutch journalists, unfortunately for Mister [Hiddink], are heavily exaggerated," the club said on its official Twitter account.
After a slow start, Hiddink has won three of his last four matches to put Anzhi four points clear of sixth-placed Lokomotiv Moscow, with only Sunday's game against champions Zenit St. Petersburg remaining.
To achieve second place and snatch a Champions League berth, Anzhi need CSKA to drop points later Tuesday against Dan Petrescu's FC Kuban, then victory over Zenit combined with three other last-day matches going their way.
