Russia: Vitaly Mutko, Russian Sports Minister, to stand for president of the Federation

Vitaly Mutko (56 years old), the Russian Sports Minister, chairman of the LOC (Local Organising Committee) of the 2018 World Cup and member of the FIFA Executive Committee, is a candidate to be the next president of the RFU (Russian Federation football), announced the Federation on 27/07/2015.

Vitaly Mutko was previously the president of the Federation from 2005 to 2009. Mutko's only opponent will be the Russian nationalist deputy Igor Lebedev. This election will take place on 02/09/2015, and follows the forced departure of Nikolai Tolstykh, former president of the RFU, who was dismissed due to the financial difficulties of the Federation during his term.

The president will be elected for one year, and new elections are to be held in September 2016 to elect a president for a full four year term. The president will be responsible for finding a new manager for the Russian national team after the departure of Italian Fabio Capello, who was sacked on 14/07/2015.

"The Federation believes that someone else has to take responsibility for future financial decisions" (V. Mutko)

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