By Andrew Warshaw
August 3 – Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, chairman of the 2018 World Cup Organising Committee and a FIFA executive committee member, looks set to cement his power base even further by becoming head of his country’s football federation after his only rival for the position, Igor Lebedev, withdrew from next month’s election.
“Today we met with Mutko and we offered each other our mutual support,” Lebedev, vice-speaker of the Russian State Duma, said in an interview with the TASS news agency.
“He will support me in the RFU executive committee elections and I will support him in the presidential elections. Therefore, I will no longer be an opponent for him in the RFU elections.”
Mutko now runs unopposed for the vacant presidency of the Russian Football Union for a second term after cutting the deal. He was in charge from 2005-09, resigning a year after being named sports minister.
The Russian federation has been without a president since May when Nikolai Tolstykh was sacked after wracking up heavy debts. News of the Mutko-Lebedev agreement immediately threw into question whether it would represent a conflict of interest.
But FIFA said Mutko’s return did not breach its rules against government interference in affairs, which have in recent years led to sanctions in several countries. ”Generally speaking, it is not an issue per se as long as the conflict of interest rules and the other rules of conduct of the code of ethics are respected,” a FIFA spokesman said in an e-mailed statement to agencies.
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