Moscow (AFP) – The Russian football federation on Friday named former international midfielder Valery Karpin as manager of the national football team. Karpin, who was coaching FK Rostov, will replace Stanislav Cherchesov, sacked after Russia was eliminated in the group stage of Euro 2020. The federation said Karpin, who is 52, had agreed to a […]

Zurich (AFP) – FIFA has barred Russian deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko, chief organiser of the 2018 World Cup, from sitting on the world football's ruling council after he failed an eligibility test. Mutko, who has also been accused of involvement in Russia's sports doping scandal, had been a candidate for a European seat on […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian football has put former Chelsea midfielder Alexei Smertin in charge of its investigations into racism as the country seeks to clean its image ahead of the World Cup next year. Smertin, also an ex-captain of the national team, has been named inspector on racism and discrimination. He has in the past […]

London (AFP) – The second McLaren report into doping in Russian sport released on Friday found evidence of banned substances being used in football. The report found football was one of more than 30 sports in which positive drug tests were covered up in Russia, which will host the 2018 World Cup, with 33 players, […]

Lausanne (AFP) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday extended sanctions against Russia over doping until further notice. The IOC first imposed sanctions on Russia in July in the wake of Richard McLaren's report for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that revealed widespread state-backed doping and led to the exclusion of hundreds of Russian […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russia recalled striker Alexander Kokorin on Tuesday, ending his exile after a video emerged of him cavorting at a champagne-fuelled party in Monaco shortly after Russia's early exit from Euro 2016. Manager Stanislav Cherchesov included the Zenit St Petersburg forward in a 24-man squad for the 2018 World Cup hosts for November friendlies […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian special police on Saturday publicly detained the far-right football fan leader implicated in this summer's Euro 2016 violence in France. Moscow police said its criminal investigation department hauled in the head of Russia's national supporters association Alexander Shprygin for questioning and searched his home and office. Police said that Shprygin was […]

Moscow (AFP) – Sports minister Vitaly Mutko was on Saturday re-elected for a four-year term as president of Russia's Football Union (RFU) at a special executive board meeting in Moscow. The 57-year-old Mutko received 266 votes. His only opponent, former Russia and CSKA Moscow coach Valery Gazzaev, got 142. Mutko presided over the RFU between […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russia's Football Union (RFU) on Thursday appointed ex-Legia Warsaw boss Stanislav Cherchesov as the country's new national coach, handing him the daunting task of leading the team into the 2018 World Cup. Russian Cherchesov, 52, replaces CSKA Moscow coach Leonid Slutsky, who resigned from the position after Russia crashed out of Euro […]

Russia will be without its captain in Brazil for the World Cup as Roman Shirokov was ruled out of the tournament Friday with a lingering back injury. The midfielder who stars at Zenit St. Petersburg was absent for all three pre-World Cup friendlies Russia played and Manager Fabio Capello has now confirmed his absence for […]