By Andrew Warshaw
September 22 – Russia’s new FIFA Council member, Alexey Sorokin, says his country fully deserves to maintain its place at FIFA’s top table. “The fact is it was important for Russia to preserve its place in the world governing body of football. We’ve had a role since 1947. We are a prominent football nation and we think we deserve a seat on the FIFA Council and deserve to take part in the overall management,” said Sorokin in an interview with Insideworldfootball.
This week, Sorokin, CEO of the 2018 World Cup organising committee, gained the FIFA Council seat stripped from the country’s deputy prime minister, Vitaly Mutko, when he was elected at UEFA’s extraordinary congress in Geneva, ensuring Russia maintained a prominent voice within FIFA’s decision-making process.
Sorokin was the only applicant for the vacant European position, passing an eligibility test to replace Mutko, his boss as chairman of the World Cup organisers and head of Russia’s football union. Mutko was deemed ineligible by former FIFA governance chief Miguel Maduro to retain his seat because of a conflict of sporting and political interest.
UEFA are understood to have invited all 55 member countries to nominate a replacement for Mutko but only Sorokin’s name was put forward. Sorokin, nominated by his federation, insists there were no shenanigans behind the scenes to catapult him into Mutko’s slot.
“The situation developed the way it did and we had no part in anything like an arrangement,” he said a few hours after his election. “I have no idea how it happened that I was the only candidate. There is always an air of conspiracy about Russia which we firmly rebuff.”
Sorokin believes Mutko was unfairly treated by Maduro’s committee even though it was simply applying the rules. “A certain committee decided on a sudden new approach even though Mr Mutko had been a serving member. This new approach resulted in his ineligibility. Were we surprised? Yes but he took it in a very tranquil manner.”
Sorokin’s priority remains organising the World Cup but said he was privileged to represent Russia and UEFA on the FIFA Council. “Having profound expertise in football, we think we can contribute something.”
Ever since Russia was awarded the World Cup, Sorokin has had to deal with all manner of questions relating to hooliganism which continues to rear its ugly head in Russian football at both international and, especially, club level.
Russian and English fans were involved in ugly clashes in Marseille at Euro 2016 and earlier this year chilling threats against visiting fans were made in a British television documentary showing groups of men taking part in organised “forest fights” in preparation for football violence.
As concerns grow about hooliganism at the World Cup, Russian fans were in trouble again last week after a dangerous flare was fired from the away end in the direction of the referee during Moscow Spartak’s Champions League draw away to Maribor.
Sorokin doesn’t deny there are image-damaging instances of hooliganism but responds: “Sometimes it’s common practise to take a few incidents and blow them up into a system. There is no systemic hooliganism in Russia. Look at the Confederations Cup. There were no incidents whatsoever.”
And as if to underline interest in next year’s World Cup, he said, around one million tickets have already been requested, around 20% of them from overseas.
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