Villas-Boas to quit Zenit

Moscow - Andre Villas-Boas says he will quit as Zenit St. Petersburg coach at the end of the season after he was blocked from leaving in the summer.

The Portuguese coach won the Russian Premier League with Zenit last season in his first full campaign, but his time in St. Petersburg has swiftly turned sour and he is currently serving a six-game ban for assaulting a match official.

European media linked Villas-Boas with major clubs in various countries, including Real Madrid, but he says Zenit management refused to let him resign.

Villas-Boas says in comments on Zenit's website that he has refused a contract extension and that "at the end of the season I will leave the club."