Difficult to understand. While its clubs and national teams remain suspended from international competitions, Russian soccer remains massively represented within UEFA. The TASS agency reports that no fewer than 15 Russian managers and officials are included in the latest version of the European body’s committees. At the top of the list is Federation President Alexander Dyukov (pictured above), who retains his position as Vice-Chairman of the National Associations Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Club Competitions Committee. The Russian leader is also a member of the UEFA Executive Committee. In the other committees, Russia remains heavily represented, notably by Polina Yumasheva (governance and compliance), Roman Babaev (licensing), Denis Solovev (marketing), and Alexander Medvedev, president of FC Zenit St Petersburg (club competitions). More surprisingly, six new Russian officials have joined UEFA’s committees. These include Russian Premier League (RPL) president Alexander Alayev, who has become the fourth vice-chairman of the stadium and safety committee, and Maria Suchkova, head of the women’s soccer department at the RFU, who now sits on the women’s soccer committee.
