Alexey Sorokin becomes Europe's eighth FIFA Council representative
Wednesday 20 September 2017 12:16, UK
Russia are back on the FIFA Council after Alexey Sorokin was elected to the football governing body's strategy-setting committee.
Sorokin, chief executive of Russia's 2018 World Cup organising committee, was voted in uncontested on Wednesday by UEFA member federations.
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The seat has been vacant since May when Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko was blocked from re-election over the potential for a conflict of interest with his government work.
Sorokin becomes the eighth of nine European delegates on the 37-strong committee, with the ninth spot also vacant since Spanish Football Federation chief Angel Maria Villar resigned in July.
Villar was detained along with three other soccer officials, including his son, on charges of improper management, misappropriation of funds, corruption and falsifying documents.
The decision was taken at UEFA's Extraordinary Congress in Geneva where it was also confirmed that Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis had been elected as executive committee members.
Gazidis and Agnelli were proposed by the European Club Association earlier this month and will represent the interests of Europe's leading clubs.
The executive committee meets later on Wednesday with Villar's potential replacement on the agenda along with decisions on host cities for the finals of UEFA's club competitions in 2019.
