Soccer-AS Monaco set to appoint Oleg Petrov as CEO - source

Russian Oleg Petrov is set to be appointed as vice-president and Chief Executive Officer of French football club AS Monaco at a board meeting on Feb 22, a source close to the club told Reuters on Saturday. Petrov will replace recently sacked Vadim Vasilyev, the source added.

The club and Petrov were not immediately available to comment. Petrov is a well-known figure in the global potash industry as he was the head of sales at Russia's Uralkali, one of the world's largest producers of the crop nutrient, until 2015.

Uralkali was previously owned by businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev, current major shareholder at AS Monaco. Although Petrov has no previous experience in football management, he has a solid international business experience, negotiation skills and flexibility needed for this role, the According to the source, explaining the choice.

Petrov will be focusing on marketing and strengthening the club's brand among other things, the source said. (Reporting by Polina Devitt Editing by Bate Felix and Pritha Sarkar)