Vitaly Mutko became the first candidate for the post of head of the RFU

Member of the Federation Council from St. Petersburg, the former president of Zenit football club Vitaly Mutko became the first candidate for the post of president of the Russian Football Union (RFU). On Friday in the city at the Neva at an extraordinary meeting of the Presidium of the Interregional Association of Football Football North-West, the candidacy of Mutko was officially nominated for this post, according to Fontanka.ru .

As the president of the Football Federation of St. Petersburg, Anatoly Turchak, told reporters, this decision was made unanimously. The meeting was attended by 20 out of 23 members of the Presidium.

According to RIA Novosti , Turchak also said that on Monday the Presidium of the Presidium of the Football Federation of the Leningrad region will also be held, which will also consider the issue of nomination of Mutko’s candidacy for this post.

“As a senator, I will say that I will do everything so that the election race for the post of head of the RFU does not prevent the coaching staff from preparing the team for the World Cup. Before the game with the Italian team, the question of changing the coach should be removed,” Mutko said in an interview with St. Petersburg journalists. In his opinion, the Russian team should have all the conditions in the organizational, technical, and, most importantly, in personnel support.

Mutko also noted that he is largely shared and supported by what Vyacheslav Koloskov did at the RFU post. For example, in his opinion, it is necessary to maintain the independence of the football union. "I am not a supporter of the most severe administration to build all the federations under the agency," Mutko said.

Earlier, Vitaly Mutko, who is considered the most likely candidate for the post of President of the RFU after the departure of Vyacheslav Koloskov, said: "If I have been nominated, I will not refuse. I will even treat such a request." According to him, in Russian football there are many problems that require solution.

Recall that on January 27, at the next meeting of the Executive Committee of the RFU, his President Vyacheslav Koloskov filed a resignation . He will lead the RFU until April 2. An extraordinary conference of the RFU is outlined for this number, the agenda of which will include two issues: consideration of the statement of President Vyacheslav Koloskov on early termination of his powers and the election of the new President of the RFU. Registration of applicants for the post of head of the football union began on January 31.

Koloskov called Mutko one of the likely applicants for his chair. “I think I won’t reveal any secret if I say that Mutko is one of the candidates for the post of President of the RFU,” Koloskov said. “We met him the other day, he has an interest. He knows football from the point of view of the President of the Club, as the St. Petersburg Zenit.