ˌɔn twˈɛnti fˈoːɹ noʊvˈɛmbɚ tˈuː θˈaʊzənd nˈaɪn, sɪmˈɑːnjən wʌz ɐpˈɔɪntᵻd ˈæktɪŋ pɹˈɛzɪdənt ʌvðə ɹˈʌʃən fˈʊtbɔːl jˈuːniən fˈɑːloʊɪŋ ðə ɹˌɛzɪɡnˈeɪʃən ʌv vˈiːɾəli mˈʌtkoʊ.
On 24 November 2009, Simonyan was appointed acting president of the Russian Football Union following the resignation of Vitaly Mutko.