Roumas takes presidency in Belarus

Sergei Roumas was elected as the new president of the Football Federation of Belarus (BFF) at the association's election conference. He was the only candidate standing for the position, and replaces Gennadi Nevyglas, who has been named honorary president.

Roumas, who is 41, was born in Gomel. In 1990, he attended the High Military Financial School in Yaroslavl, and in 1995 graduated from the Belarus Management Academy. Having specialised in economics, he embarked on a career in banking. In his speech to delegates, Mr Roumas said: "We have to double the number of people involved in grassroots football. Youth football is hugely important to us. We need to improve the standard of the national league as it is fundamental to all our national teams."

Belarusian football achieved encouraging results under Nevyglas. The national selection will feature in a third UEFA European Under-21 Championship this summer, while the country's club teams have gained in stature thanks to the efforts of FC BATE Borisov in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.