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As Russian Soccer Steps Onto World Stage, an Ambassador Arrives in England

LONDON — Leonid Slutsky has a lot of stories from these last six months, but the one that best captures the challenge the former Russia manager faces is about a former player.

Since January, Slutsky has been living in London as a guest of his close friend Roman Abramovich. Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who owns Chelsea, has done all he can to help Slutsky learn about English soccer. He put him up in a hotel adjacent to Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium, offered him access to all areas at the team’s training facility, invited him to attend many of the club’s home games in his private box.