"He has a contract, he is the current head coach of the team, and no one can consider his candidature until his contract expires," he said on the air of the Ekho Moskvy radio station commenting on reports that Hiddink may transfer to the Chelsea FC.

According to reports in British press, the authorities of the British soccer club view him as the most probable successor of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea's current head coach, who is to quit the club at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, it is "as yet meaningless" to assess Hiddink's activity as Russia's head soccer coach, the president of the Football Union of Russia said.

"One needs at least to understand his possibilities to produce results and his capability to reform soccer in Russia. We have played four games [of the Euro-2008 qualifying completion], and we are the second. We have good chances, but we have to play eight more games this year. Everything will depend on results of these games," he said.

Hiddink signed a two-year contract with the Football Union of Russia in April 2006.

At the same time, there are no grounds for Hiddink to quit the current position for Chelsea at the end of the season, press secretary of the Football Union of Russia Andrei Malosolov said.

"There are no grounds for him to quit ahead of time. He has a two- year contract signed in 2006. [Hiddink] is an ambitious person and he is very likely to be interested in bringing the Russain soccer team at least to the final stage of the Euro-2008 soccer competition," the press secretary told Interfax on Sunday.

However, the Football Union of Russia fully accomplishes the contract with Hiddink, as well as his demands for conditions for the team, he said.

"One may also say that a very interesting and promising trio of soccer coaches, including Alexander Borodyuk, Igor Korneyev and Hiddink as the head coach, is being shaped," Malosolov said.

The press secretary said referring to Hiddink that the head coach will visit the First Channel Cup scheduled to take place in late January in Tel-Aviv to look at possible candidates for the team, who currently play for Moscow's CSKA FC and Spartak FC.

MOSCOW. Jan 7 (Interfax)