Vitaly Mutko resigns as president of Russian football federation
Associated Press
Wednesday, 19 December 2018, 15:11
Last update: about 9 years ago
In this Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 file photo, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Moscow in Moscow, Russia. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko will no longer have governmental responsibility for the World Cup it was announced on Tuesday, March 6 - the latest soccer-related role he has left amid scrutiny over his involvement in a state-sponsored doping scheme. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, file)
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, who was banned from the Olympics for life because of the country's doping scandals, has resigned as president of the Russian Football Union.
The RFU says Mutko stepped down during Wednesday's executive committee meeting. Russian soccer league president Sergey Pryadkin will serve as the RFU's acting president until its conference in February.
Mutko played a leading role in Russia's bid to host this year's World Cup and was in charge of the country's preparations for several years.
Last year, he stepped down temporarily as RFU president after the International Olympic Committee imposed the lifetime ban. But Mutko still remained closely linked with Russian soccer and attended national team training.