Dyukov takes the helm in Russia

Aleksandr Dyukov has been elected as the new president of the Football Union of Russia (FUR).

The 51-year-old has a two-year mandate after his election by acclamation, which took place at the association’s extraordinary Congress in Moscow.

Dyukov is a former president of Russian club FC Zenit, and will leave his post as chairman of the club’s board to take up the Russian national association’s presidential position until February 2021.

"This is a big honour, but also a huge responsibility," Dyukov said. "Our missions will be hard, but it will be more interesting to complete them.”

Dyukov became a FUR executive committee member in 2014 and was the head of the development programmes committee, taking part in building a strategy for the development of Russian football until 2030.

“There is no single solution that will bring our football to the next level,” he said. “We can make [various] decisions, but if we want to achieve serious changes, we have to undertake a great number of tasks at all levels. And we will manage all of those tasks."