Stanislav Cherchesov

Stanislav Salamovich Cherchesov (, ; ; born 2 September 1963) is a Russian professional football manager and former goalkeeper. He is the manager of Russian Premier League club Akhmat Grozny.

In August 2016, he was appointed as head coach of the Russia national team and led them to the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He was dismissed after the team was eliminated in the UEFA Euro 2020 group stage. He took charge of Hungarian side Ferencváros in 2021, winning two consecutive Nemzeti Bajnokság I titles before being sacked in July 2023. From June 2024 to January 2025, he was also the head coach of the Kazakhstan national team.

Club career The goalkeeper played 57 matches in the German top-flight for former East German powerhouse Dynamo Dresden a couple of years after reunification between East and West. Cherchesov (transcribed in Austrian German as Tschertschessow) celebrated his biggest successes at the club level in the Austrian premiere Soccer League with FC Tirol (Innsbruck), winning three championship titles in his time there between 1996 and 2002. In Innsbruck Cherchesov is affectionately known as "Stani" to this day. after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Cherchesov also made one appearance for the FIFA team in the charity game against America in 1995, and for Europe vs Africa in 1997.8

Managerial career Cherchesov was the manager of Austrian soccer third-tier club FC Kufstein from January to November 2004 and the manager of Wacker Tirol from November 2004 to May 2006. In June 2006 – June 2007 he was the sporting director of FC Spartak Moscow. From 19 June 2007 to 14 August 2008 he was the manager of Spartak Moscow. On 12 July 2008, Spartak suffered a historic crushing 5–1 defeat against CSKA Moscow. On 13 August 2008, Spartak lost another crucial match to Dynamo Kyiv 4–1 in UEFA Champions League qualification. The next day, Cherchesov was sacked by Spartak.

In June 2013, Cherchesov was appointed the manager of Amkar Perm. On 8 April 2014, he left the club.

On 9 April 2014, he was named as manager of Dynamo Moscow replacing Dan Petrescu. He left Dynamo by mutual consent on 13 July 2015.

On 6 October 2015, he became the manager of Polish side Legia Warsaw. That season, he won a league and cup double.

Russia In August 2016, Cherchesov was named as the new head coach of Russia on a two-year contract through to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Under his management Russia would beat Saudi Arabia 5–0, Egypt 3–1, and Spain 1–1 (pen. 4-3), reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 1970. He has become the first ever Russian manager, since the collapse of USSR, to bring Russia into the knockout stage of a major tournament for the second time (Dutchman Guus Hiddink led Russia to the UEFA Euro 2008 semi-finals), which others like Pavel Sadyrin, Oleg Romantsev, Georgi Yartsev and Leonid Slutsky have failed to do.

On 27 July 2018, he signed a new contract with the Russian national team, on a two-year term with a further two-year extension option. On 12 March 2020, he extended the contract until 30 December 2022. It would be extended to 31 July 2024 if Russia qualifies for the knockout stage at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Following the failure to advance from the group stage at the UEFA Euro 2020 which was played in June 2021, the Russian Football Union dismissed Cherchesov on 8 July 2021.

Ferencváros On 20 December 2021, he was appointed as the manager of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Ferencvárosi TC.

On 5 May 2023, he won the 2022–23 Nemzeti Bajnokság I with Ferencváros, after Kecskemét lost 1–0 to Honvéd at the Bozsik Aréna on the 30th matchday.

However, on 19 July 2023, he was sacked from his management role after losing 3-0 at the Ferencváros Stadion to Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag in the first round of the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round.

Kazakhstan On 3 June 2024, Cherchesov was hired to manage the Kazakhstan national team.

At the end of June of the same year, Cherchesov became the subject of a controversy. During a press conference, he objected to a journalist asking several questions in a row in Kazakh. A couple of days later, Cherchesov began attending Kazakh language courses, and has said that he plans to master the language by the end of the year. As for the result, Cherchesov was sacked as coach of Kazakhstan for failing to achieve promotion.

Return to Akhmat On 6 August 2025, Cherchesov signed a three-year contract with Akhmat Grozny (which was called Terek during his first stint at the club).

Personal life Cherchesov is married and has two children. His son, Stanislav, is also a goalkeeper. As he spent much time in Germany and Austria during his career, he is fluent in German and has taken up coaching education in Germany.

In the year 2018, Cherchesov was named "Coach of the Year" in the nomination "Pride of Russia" by the Ministry of Sport of Russia.

Managerial statistics

Honours Player Spartak Moscow Soviet Top League/Russian Premier League: 1987, 1989, 1992, 1993 Soviet Cup: 1992

Tirol Innsbruck Austrian Bundesliga: 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02

Individual Soviet Top League Best Goalkeeper: 1989, 1990, 1992

Manager Legia Warsaw Ekstraklasa: 2015–16 Polish Cup: 2015–16

Ferencváros Nemzeti Bajnokság I: 2021–22, 2022–23 Hungarian Cup: 2021–22