Soccer

Vitaly Mutko quits as Russian Football Union president

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, who was banned from the Olympics for life because of the country's doping scandals, has resigned as president of the Russian Football Union.

Deputy Prime Minister was handed lifetime Olympic ban for country's doping scandal

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has stepped down as president of the Russian Football Union. Previously, he was handed a lifetime Olympic ban because of the country's doping scandals. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, who was banned from the Olympics for life because of the country's doping scandals, has resigned as president of the Russian Football Union.

The RFU says Mutko stepped down during Wednesday's executive committee meeting in Moscow. Russian soccer league president Sergey Pryadkin will serve as the RFU's acting president until its conference in February.

Mutko played a leading role in Russia's bid to host this year's World Cup and was in charge of the country's preparations for several years.

Last year, he stepped down temporarily as RFU president after the International Olympic Committee imposed the lifetime ban. But Mutko​ still remained closely linked with Russian soccer and attended national team training.