Fifa hail disgraced Vitaly Mutko for ‘responsible step’ of quitting Russian FA to defuse World Cup criticism
Russia’s deputy PM stands down for six months to contest Olympic doping ban at Court of Arbitration for Sport but remains in charge of country’s sport
Vitaly Mutko, a Russian government official who has been dogged by allegations of involvement in doping, said Monday he would temporarily step down as president of the Russian Football Union.
Mutko said at a briefing that he would suspend his activities as president for six months, and Alexander Alayev would serve as the acting head of the Russian Football Union.
Mutko would retain the job of deputy prime minister overseeing sports.
Investigations by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee alleged that Mutko was involved in a sophisticated state-sponsored doping programme during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Mutko, who served as Russia’s sports minister during the Games, has strongly denied all doping allegations.
The IOC didn’t accuse Mutko of being personally involved in doping, but banned him from the Olympics for life, saying he and his ministry bore overall responsibility for “failure to respect” anti-doping rules.