MOSCOW: Vitaly Mutko may be the next member of the FIFA executive committee to stay away from world federation meetings in Switzerland writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Already Marco Polo Del Nero, head of the Brazilian confederation, has skipped a string of exco and others meetings for fear of being arrested on a United States warrant connected with the FIFAGate scandal. While he remains on Brazil he cannot be extradited.

Now Mutko may be considering following Del Nero’s example ahead of the exco meeting in December which has been switched back to Zurich from Tokyo.

Mutko is not only a FIFA exco member but Sports Minister, football federation president and head of the 2018 World Cup local organising committee.

According to the TASS agency, Mutko admitted: “I am afraid of travelling to Switzerland now.”

Then he complained that the misconduct of some individuals should not result in all of FIFA being smeared.

Mutko said: “All of the recent developments surrounding FIFA are not fair. This organization does not deserve such treatment.

“Unfortunately, this is all to the detriment of the organization’s reputation. I would like to point out that FIFA is holding the largest sports events at the highest levels possible, contributes about a billion of US dollars into the development of football worldwide.

“Try naming a similar organization.

“A total of 209 national federations are members of FIFA. The organisation in general cannot be responsible for something that was done wrong somewhere in Jamaica or Senegal.

“Why should be FIFA responsible for it? Everything that was done is treated as if it is all the responsibility of FIFA.”

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