January 2 – Russian football has taken on former top FIFA official Valentin Ivanov to replace Italian Roberto Rosetti as head of its domestic refereeing department.
The 52-year-old, whose father was joint top scorer at the 1962 World Cup in Chile, stepped down after the 2006 tournament in Germany but has come out of retirement to take on the challenging post to improve officiating ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
Ivanov made headlines in 2006 by showing 16 cards, including four reds during one match between Portugal and Netherlands.
Officiating in Russian football has come under constant scutiny and Ivanov said: “I understand how difficult and demanding job I have to do but I feel the strength to succeed in this position.”
Rosetti, who was named best referee in Serie A four times and officiated at the Euro 2008 final between Spain and Germany, was hired by the Russian Football Union in 2011 in a bid to improve standards but resigned last month for family reasons.
“Valentin Ivanov doesn’t need any introduction and I believe his high qualification, knowledge and experience will benefit the domestic football,” said RFU boss Nikolai Tolstykh.
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