Moscow, Sep 2 (IANS): Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko was on Wednesday elected unopposed as the president of the Russian Football Union (RFU) to succeed Nikolai Tolstykh, who was dismissed on May 31.
The 56-year-old new president was elected during a RFU extraordinary meeting held on Wednesday, reports Efe.
Mutko has already held the post between 2005 and 2009, said that there are programs to develop football in Russia, where 3.5 million people play this sport.
He said that the state has allocated some $105 million for the development of football.
Mutko affirmed that he had agreed with Russian president Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting devoted to national football and discuss the preparations for 2018 World Cup to be hosted by Russia.