Oligarch who puts Abramovich in shade

THE man at the centre of the row which almost cost FIFA president Gianni Infantino his job is the Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov.

The Uzbek-born Russian is the man who puts Roman Abramovich in the shade, ranked by Forbes Magazine as the third most-important oligarch in Russia, with an estimated net worth of $12.5billion (£9.5bn). Apart from Arsenal, his company, USM, has links to Everton where USM chairman Farhad Moshiri is owner and where USM has a naming rights deal at Everton’s training ground.

In 2015 he was reported as being a member of Russia 2018 World Cup local organising committee which is at the heart of FIFA’s relationship with Russia.

He is recognised as a key businessman by the Russian state, dominated by President Vladimir Putin. His official biography records that in 2013 Usmanov was awarded the ‘Order for Service to the Fatherland for his services to the (Russian) state’ and also the ‘Order of Alexander Nevsky’ and the ‘Order of Honour of the Russian Federation, for his professional achievements and contribution to business’ as well as the ‘Medal for Contribution to International Cooperation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.’