Vassiljev had already stepped down as national team captain last month, and Flora manager Norbert Hurt confirmed Sunday that the team's new captain is experienced striker Rauno Alliku.

The development follows remarks Vassiljev, 39, an attacking midfielder, about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Hurt said: "The decision is up to the people themselves. There's not much for me to comment on. I can say that the decision regarding the captaincy has been made."

"FC Flora's new captain is Rauno Alliku. We decided not to get into any conflict with the fans and the public," Hurt continued, quoted by football portal Soccernet.ee.

"In all other ways, Kostja remains our player," Hurt went on; Kostja being the diminutive form of Konstantin.

As reported by ERR news, Flora handed Tallinn rivals Levadia their first defeat of the season on Sunday in a match which was also the 100th Tallinn derby.

Konstantin Vassiljev was on the bench for most of the encounter, coming on at the 82nd minute, but was greeted by a chorus of booing from the fans, ERR Sport reports.

Last month, Vassiljev met with the Estonian Football Association's (EJK) board where he informed them that he would no longer wear the captain's armband, in effect fulfilling an EJK desire that he no longer head up the team in any case.

At the start of 2023 Vassiljev and other national team members were snapped socializing with Russian manager Valeri Karpin. He remained team captain until last month, after he told evening paper Õhtuleht that "If [Ukraine] wins, then maybe peace will come. If Russia wins, then maybe peace will come. If both sides decide to talk and make peace, then maybe peace will arrive."

He has been capped 157 time for the national side since 2006, a joint record.

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