Russian football chief Tolstykh forced to step down

Russian football chief Nikolai Tolstykh's stepped down after losing a vote of confidence at the Russian Football Union (RFU) conference on Sunday.

The 59-year-old's resignation was forced after a majority of 235 out of 449 Russian Football Union (RFU) delegates voted against him.

"I thank you distinguished delegates for your opinion," former Dynamo Moscow player and official Tolstykh said.

"Naturally, I will comply with your decision.

"I wish you success in the implementation of your future football development plans. And thank you for our teamwork."

Nikita Simonyan, 88, the RFU first deputy chief, will serve as acting president until the election of the new RFU president.

Tolstykh was elected as the RFU president in 2012 after the national team's poor performance at the European championship forced his predecessor Sergei Fursenko to resign.

Under Tolstykh's direction the national team had won a pass into the last year's World Cup finals in Brazil after a 12-year break.

However, the lacklustre performance of the Russian squad in Brazil, where they were eliminated after the group stage and failed to register a single win, have caused a wave of criticism pointed at Tolstykh.

Russia coach Fabio Capello, who has signed a new lucrative contract with RFU, which covers the 2018 World Cup hosted by Russia, was also criticised for his team's World Cup failure.

Capello reportedly is the world's highest paid coach with a salary of around seven million euros.

However, after the World Cup, he had not been paid for seven months and the RFU debt has reached the sum of 600 million roubles ($9.2 million, 7.9 million euros at this year's beginning) including the taxes.

The situation over Capello's contract put Tolstykh under the threat of being fired after the deadline -- issued in December by Russia's labour agency -- to pay off the manager's back wages, expired in January.

Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov had solved the situation as he stepped in to settle the debt owed to Capello but Tolstykh has faced calls for his dismissal again.

Usmanov, who is a member of Russia's 2018 World Cup committee, had loaned the money to the RFU to put an end to the six-month long dispute with the Italian coach.

"As a member of the 2018 World Cup board of trustees I share our sports minister Vitaly Mutko's concerns about the support of the national manager Capello's activity," Usmanov told R-Sport news agency.

"I consider the existing situation, which is the result of the RFU leaders policy, to be completely unacceptable. It's a shame when the person, who works for the benefit of Russia, isn't paid for his work.

"And it's absolutely intolerable when the situation is carried to the point of absurdity. It's evidence of the current RFU leaders' invalidity."

Russia's sports minister Mutko, who presided the RFU in 2005-09 meanwhile said he was considering the possibility to join the race for the post of the Russian football boss again.

"I will think about it," Mutko told the R-Sport agency in reply to a question about a possibility of his participation in the RFU chief elections.
Source: AFP