Vitaly Mutko Barred From Standing for FIFA Council Role

By Christian Radnedge

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has been barred from standing for re-election for his place on FIFA’s council, formerly the executive committee.

Mutko has been denied his chance to remain a part of world football’s top table due to a FIFA review committee finding, following his promotion to Deputy PM from the role of Sports Minister in Russia last October.

The 58-year-old, who also is president of Russia’s football federation and heads up the 2018 World Cup organising committee, confirmed the news in a statement on Friday.

“I wanted to get re-elected, but FIFA has changed its criteria,” he said. “A new criterion has been introduced: political neutrality. They want the organisation to be politically neutral, so that officials and representatives of the government don’t get elected, and that’s their right.”

Mutko has been a member of FIFA’s former exco since 2009.

FIFA’s new guidelines reflect president Gianni Infantino’s desire to reduce the amount of political influence in world football.

It means that the four remaining candidates are clear to stand for the four European places on the council unopposed.

They are UEFA executive committee member Sandor Csanyi, Iceland football federation president Geir Thorsteinsson, Montenegro federation president Dejan Savicevic and Costakis Koutsokoumnis, the Cyprus federation president.

Germany’s Reinhard Grindel is the only candidate for a further European place, which has a two-year term.

The elections will take place at UEFA’s 41^st Congress, in Helsinki, Finland on April 5.

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