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23 Dec 2024, 13:20

Russian Premier League nominates Dyukov for another term of RFU president

RPL clubs’ representatives also cast their votes during the meeting in favor of the RFU Executive Committee candidates, namely Akhmed Aidamirov, Artashes Arutyunyants and Dmitry Gafin

MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The General Meeting of Russia’s top-tier football league, the Russian Premier League (RPL), has put forward Alexander Dyukov for the role of the president of the Russian Football Union (RFU), the RPL’s press office said in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, the RPL’s decision was unanimous. The RFU presidential election is scheduled for February 2, 2025. Late last month, Dyukov announced his intention to seek another term as president of Russia’s governing football body, and last week he reaffirmed his plans after his candidacy was supported by the majority of the RFU’s members.

RPL clubs’ delegates also cast their votes during the meeting in favor of the RFU Executive Committee candidates, namely Akhmed Aidamirov (a vice president and the director general of Akhmat FC from Grozny), Artashes Arutyunyants (the president of Rostov FC), and Dmitry Gafin (the chairman of the Board of Directors of Dynamo Moscow FC).

Candidates wishing to participate in the RFU presidential election must submit a package of documents by the deadline of December 24. The RFU Election Committee is required to consider candidates for the position of head of the organization no later than December 29. The Russian Football Union must provide the world’s governing body of football, FIFA, as well as the UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) with the final list of candidates by January 3, 2025.

Dyukov, 57, the chief executive of Russian oil major Gazprom Neft and ex-chairman of the Board of Directors of Zenit St. Petersburg football club, was elected president of the Russian Football Union in February 2019.

In the period between 2008 and 2017, Dyukov also served as the president of Zenit St. Petersburg FC. During this period, the football club won three national football championships (2010, 2012, 2015), secured two Russia Cups (2010, 2016), and also claimed the 2008 UEFA Cup and the 2008 UEFA Super Cup.

Russia’s football ban

The International Association Football Federation (FIFA) announced on February 28, 2022, that the Russian national team and all professional clubs representing the country were barred from taking part in FIFA tournaments.

In turn, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) made a similar decision regarding the Russian national football team’s participation in UEFA tournaments.

Both FIFA and UEFA cited Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine as grounds for their respective bans on Russian teams’ participation in competitions.

Since sanctions were introduced, the Russian national football squad has played a host of friendlies against other countries, namely against Kyrgyzstan (2-1), Tajikistan (0-0), Uzbekistan (0-0), Iran (1-1), Iraq (2-0), Cameroon (1-0), Kenya (2-2), Cuba (8-0), Serbia (4-0), Belarus (4-0), Vietnam (3-0), Brunei (11-0), and Syria (4-0).