Russian Football Union Admits They Can't Afford Fabio Capello's Salary

The Russian Football Union has confirmed it cannot afford to pay coach Fabio Capello's salary.

As reported by BBC Sport, the governing body owe Capello £7 million for his ongoing tenure with the Russian national team. This cost is insurmountable, according to Sergei Stepashin, a member of the country's executive committee: "We have no money to pay Capello's salary. It's wrong, but when they signed the contract they should have thought through how it's going to be financed. Today we need to look for sources of funding."

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Capello recently suggested money "really doesn't inspire me," as reported by Reuters (via USA Today). Even so, the Italian admitted he is "getting close to the limit" of being able to deal with the situation. Tancredi Palmeri of beIN Sports wonders if there's an ulterior motive behind the situation:

The 68-year-old is meant to be the highest-paid international coach in football, "almost" doubling Roy Hodgson's salary with England. Capello, who exited the Three Lions role in 2012, bagged a reported £1.5 million upon his departure.

Russia are currently second in their qualifying group for Euro 2016, sitting two points behind Austria in Group G. They face the leaders on Saturday in a match which could shape the rest of the side's campaign, particularly if a solution to Capello's pay problem isn't found.