Aberdeen FC will stand by assistant boss Allan Russell after his involvement in a drink-driving incident which left a man with life-changing injuries was revealed.
Russell joined the Dons last month as Stephen Glass’ number two and has lost his role as a strikers coach with Gareth Southgate’s England due to the incident.
In July 2020, he was a passenger in his Audi RS6 down south when it rammed a Vauxhall Corsa in Shirburn, Oxfordshire, injuring its driver – according to the Sun.
The 40-year-old, who has been lauded for his Superior Striker coaching and work with stars like Harry Kane, was fined £2,000 after admitting letting his brother Simon – who was twice the limit and had no insurance – drive.
Danny Moss, 43 — an off-duty ambulance driver — suffered life-changing injuries in the smash, county magistrates heard.
Last night, a spokesperson for Aberdeen FC said they were aware of the incident and stood by the “deeply remorseful” former Hamilton and Kilmarnock forward.
A statement read: “The club has now been made aware of all the circumstances surrounding a regrettable road traffic accident last year, in which Allan was a passenger in the vehicle.
“He is deeply remorseful about the consequences of this incident for everyone involved.
“Having taken everything into consideration, we feel Allan made a serious error of judgement but he took responsibility and has suffered the consequences.
“We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to redeem themselves by learning from their mistakes and the club will be supporting Allan in his role as an assistant coach at AFC, where he is already making a positive impact.”
Russell has made a name for himself a position-specific coach, honing his work with attacking players after finishing his playing career in the United States, where he played with Reds gaffer Glass at Carolina RailHawks.
The profile of his work was boosted significantly in 2018. While working under Southgate at the World Cup in Russia, he received praise for England’s increased goal return from set-pieces.
Golden boot-winning Tottenham striker Harry Kane also claimed Russell gave him an “edge” at the tournament with his coaching.
The Scot had been set to be part of the England set-up at this summer’s European Championships, joining up with the team shortly after Aberdeen’s Scottish Premiership season concludes at Ibrox on Saturday.
However, the Football Association said in a statement: “We’ve agreed with Allan it’s in the best interests of all for him to leave his consultancy position.”
Russell’s spokesman reportedly said: “He doesn’t want to be a distraction to England going into the Euros.”
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