Recently appointed Spartak Moscow coach Nevio Scala had a close escape when a bomb exploded outside his Moscow hotel.
A suicide bomber killed at least five people outside the National Hotel.
“I was really scared,” said the Italian, who has justsigned a one-year contract to coach coach the former Russian champions.
“Just a half-hour before the bomb went off I was sitting in a hotel lobby drinking coffee and I wouldn’t deny I was a bit shaken after being told about the explosion.”
Scala was appointed Spartak’s fourth coach in less than six months after a dismal campaign for the Muscovites.