Game over for Russian soccer analyst

Russia’s former national soccer coach Leonid Slutsky broke an unwritten rule of working on state television when he mentioned President Vladimir Putin’s main political foe Alexey Navalny by name live on air during World Cup commentary.

Now he’s off the team of Channel One’s tournament pundits. Slutsky made the remark during Germany’s game against Mexico Sunday after commentator Kirill Dementyev used an obscure homonym of the opposition leader’s name to say the Germans should play “high-pressure soccer” to try to overcome a 1-0 losing score. Slutsky responded with a quip asking if Navalny plays soccer, adding: “That would be interesting to see.” Dementyev didn’t reply on air to the comment.

On Tuesday, after the Russian team all but guaranteed qualification for the World Cup’s next round with a 3-1 defeat of Egypt, Slutsky announced he’ll no longer be offering commentary for the country’s most-watched channel. He explained he was leaving to pursue other activities. Channel One said Slutsky’s exit was due to his responsibilities with the Dutch team SBV Vitesse, where he’s due to take up the post of head coach, Interfax reported, citing a spokesman. Navalny, barred from running in presidential elections, tweeted Wednesday he was “very sorry ” to hear about Slutsky’s departure. Putin has consistently refused to mention Navalny by name in interviews and news conferences, sometimes referring to him instead as “that character.” The Kremlin’s determined to present a friendlier, more open image of Russia after years of international political tensions. State television remains tightly controlled, however, at a time when the tournament offers a rare opportunity to persuade younger Russians to tune in.