FIFA Said to Fire Governance Official Amid Russian Pressure
- Governance head Maduro blocked Russia’s Mutko from FIFA seat
- Maduro blocked Mutko over conflict with Russian politics role
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Miguel Maduro, a Portuguese politician and corporate governance expert hired by FIFA to boost the soccer body’s image following a corruption scandal, was fired amid increasing internal pressure, according to several people familiar with the matter.
Maduro, who was hired by FIFA President Gianni Infantino at last year’s annual congress, was told of his dismissal Tuesday, hours before he was scheduled to attend this year’s meeting in Manama, Bahrain, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because they aren’t authorized to discuss the subject. Maduro’s ouster was linked to his role in blocking Russian World Cup official Vitaly Mutko from retaining his seat on FIFA’s ruling council.