Less chewing, more singing is the message from irate Russian president Vladimir Putin to the country's footballers after they proved as reluctant to use their vocal chords as their shooting boots at E
Less chewing, more singing is the message from irate Russian president Vladimir Putin to the country's footballers after they proved as reluctant to use their vocal chords as their shooting boots at Euro 2004.Alexei Smertin and co's laissez-faire attitude to "Gimn Rossiysskaya Federatsiya" (Hymn of the Russian Federation) - the piece restored to its Soviet-era version in 2001 - has prompted action from Putin, who reportedly phoned Russian Olympic official Leonid Tyagachyov during the European Championships to order the players to raise their voices. According to Russian tabloid Zhizn, Tyagachyov informed football officials of Putin's displeasure, and the message was hastily transmitted to Russia's footballers. "I told the lads to take their national anthem more seriously," Russian Football Union president Vyacheslav Koloskov told Zhizn. "Other teams not only sing, they have expressions on their faces that straight away make it clear they are prepared to everything to beat the opposition. "And ours? They chew gum and smile." Players were handed song sheets for the 2002 World Cup but it appeared to have little effect on performances as Russia were eliminated at the first-round group stage - as they were in Portugal last month.
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