Hiddink says he can handle his job at Chelsea FC - paper

MOSCOW, February 15 (RIA Novosti) - Russian national team trainer Guus Hiddink, confirmed as a temporary coach of Chelsea, expressed the hope that his mission in the English Premier League club will be successful, a British paper said on Sunday.

Hiddink was appointed manager of Chelsea on Wednesday until the end of the season. He replaces Brazilian trainer Luiz Felipe Scolari in the job. He has however pledged to continue coaching Russia, a position he has held since July 2006.

"Chelsea want to qualify for the Champions League. That is the mission I have been given by Roman Abramovich - it's as simple as that. It is a massive challenge, but I think I can handle the task," The Sunday Mirror quoted Hiddink as saying.

The London club is owned by Russian billionaire Abramovich, whose National Football Academy pays Hiddink's salary in Russia. Hiddink told the British media on Tuesday that he wanted to help Chelsea out, adding that his relationship with the Russian businessman was a major factor in his decision.

Hiddink told The Sunday Mirror that he was supposed to go back to Russia at the end of the season but was not going to say too much about what would happen after the season.

"There are a couple of scenarios. I just go back or I do well, and we'll see... Russians are enduring tough financial times and may well accept a longer-term job share," he said.

Hiddink also said he could finish the career of a coach after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when his contract with the Russian Football Union expired.

"I think I will quit in the summer of 2010 after the World Cup. From then on I am just going to ride around on my Harley-Davidson... And I'll take care, privately, of my own project for the poor in Tanzania," Hiddink told the paper.