Aleksandr Dyukov, the head of a subsidiary of Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom, is the new president of the country's soccer federation.
Dyukov, who is chairman and CEO of Gazprom Neft, was elected unopposed on February 22 as Russian Football Union president.
Until last year, Dyukov was also president of Zenit St. Petersburg, the Russian club owned by Gazprom.
He oversaw a period of big spending at the club, which won a UEFA Cup title in 2008. Zenit was criticized by some Russians for its dependence on state funding at the time.
Gazprom is a UEFA sponsor and Zenit's home stadium will host European Championship games next year.
In June, UEFA will also decide whether to stage the 2021 Champions League final in St. Petersburg.
The federation's top position has been unoccupied since Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko quit in December. Mutko was banned from the Olympics for life in 2017 in connection with a huge doping scandal during his time as sports minister.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
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