Bazanov elected in Belarus

Former FC Dinamo Brest board chairman Vladimir Bazanov has been elected as the new president of the Football Federation of Belarus (BFF) for a four-year term.

Bazanov, a deputy in the Belarus house of representatives, has held a number of positions in the country’s national assembly, the state parliament.

He was CEO of the Dinamo Brest club from 2010 to 2012, and oversaw the club’s fifth-place finish in the league in his first year in charge.

"We have to guarantee the fruitful continuity of the association’s work," the 61-year-old said in his pre-election speech. "Our strategic goal is to increase the number of amateur and grassroots players, to increase the number of students in special [football] schools, and to adhere strictly to our 'from grassroots to brilliance' principle."

The Belarus national team was promoted as winners of their League D group in the league phase of the inaugural UEFA Nations League, and could qualify for UEFA EURO 2020 via the play-offs if they do not go through to next year’s EURO finals via the European Qualifiers.

"My dream is to see Belarus at the [UEFA] European Championship,” Bazanov added. “Obviously we have a real chance to do this via the [UEFA] Nations League."