By David Gold
January 20 – Dignitaries from the world of football and politics, including the FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, and Russia’s Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, have gathered in St Petersburg to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Russian Football Union (RFU).
The RFU was first created in January 1912 before later that year becoming a member of FIFA.
The Soviet Union Football Federation took over its role in 1934, some 17 years after the Russian revolution, and the RFU was finally reformed in 1992 following the collapse of the Soviet regime the previous year.
“Russia, the largest country in the world, has certainly made its mark on the global football map,” said Blatter, who went on to praise the fact that the country will be hosting the 2018 World Cup.
“Let’s look forward to the 2018 FIFA World Cup which will be staged in Russia.
“This decision was based on merit, because never before has Eastern Europe had the World Cup on its soil.”
“This World Cup shall connect all people of Russia.
“I had the opportunity to explain it today to your Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
“Football brings emotions; football brings hope.
“Take care of football – by doing so, you take care of the youth.
“Happy birthday,” concluded Blatter who, along with Michel Platini and the former Russian great Nikita Simonyan, was awarded a new RFU award for humanism in football at the event.
The RFU President, Sergey Fursenko, added: “Football is the game which unites everybody, irrelevant of who they are.
“Football is not only the game.
“It is also the people.
“It is based on the principles of fair play.”
Platini (pictured) sent his good wishes to the Russian National Team ahead of the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine this summer as well as wishing that Zenit St Petersburg and CSKA Moscow both progress further in their Champions League campaigns.
“First of all, I wish a happy birthday to the RFU,” he said.
“Secondly, I wish you a successful performance and a Russian victory at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
“Thirdly, I wish Zenit and CSKA a successful performance in the play-offs of the Champions League,” Platini added, before praising the legendary Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin, one of the country’s greatest ever players.
“Me and my contemporaries grew up with images of the fantastic Lev Yashin.
“He left us too early, but he deserves a never ending place in the history of football.”
During the event, Putin (pictured) asked Blatter to extend the stay of the Russian Sports Minister, Vitaly Mutko, on FIFA’s Executive Committee.
The RFU currently works with 44,000 football clubs in Russia and 2.5 million players.
Now is a time of major change in Russian football following the decision in December 2010 to award the country the right to host the 2018 World Cup.
A number of new stadia across the country are being constructed for the event, while the current Russian Premier League season is enjoying its first ever winter break as it changes to the normal European league calendar.
Previous Russian league campaigns ran from March to November but this season, which began eight months ago, will continue in the spring, lasting 18 months in total.
In future the Premier League season will run from autumn to spring, as major European leagues do, with a winter break.
Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1734797615labto1734797615ofdlr1734797615owedi1734797615sni@d1734797615log.d1734797615ivad1734797615