Russia, plagued by soccer scandals, says everything’s going to be fine
By Christopher Miller From Mashable
MOSCOW — Full steam ahead.
That’s the message Kremlin officials here put out Wednesday in an attempt to quell Russians’ fears the country would lose its bid to host the World Cup in 2018 after the resignation of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, even as the FBI investigates Russia’s, along with Qatar’s, bids to host the soccer championship.
Blatter stepped down after being accused of taking bribes in the 1998 and 2010 World Cups. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Blatter’s departure was a shock. But it would not have any effect on the country’s preparations for the 2018 World Cup, he said, which are on track, despite the scandal grabbing international headlines.
“Work is continuing, cooperation with FIFA is continuing, and most importantly, Russia is continuing preparations for the 2018 World Cup,” “Work is continuing, cooperation with FIFA is continuing, and most importantly, Russia is continuing preparations for the 2018 World Cup,” Peskov told journalists at a briefing in Moscow Wednesday.
“I don’t see any threats,” Mutko was quoted by the Russian state news agency TASS as saying. Blatter’s resignation, he added, won’t affect FIFA’s decision to grant Russia hosting duties for the 2018 global soccer championship.
Russia FIFA Raids
Russia is building or renovating 12 stadiums in 11 cities for the 2018 tournament at a cost of 660.5 billion rubles ($12.2 billion), according to The Wall Street Journal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has decried the corruption probe against top FIFA officials saying the U.S. overextended its judicial powers by opening a probe into dealings within the global soccer body as part of a devious plot to force out Blatter.
Capello said he plans to take legal action against his accuser, the former president of the Russian Football Union Nikolay Tolstykh, according to Reuters.
IMAGES:
Russian President Vladimir Putin, seen here in the Kremlin on May 28, 2015, accused the United States of meddling in FIFA’s affairs and hinted that it was part of an attempt to take the 2018 World Cup away from his country.IMAGE: SERGEI KARPUKHIN/POOL PHOTO VIA AP
The Zenit Arena stadium which will host some 2018 World Cup matches, under construction in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, May 27, 2015.
IMAGE: AP PHOTO/DMITRY LOVETSKY
For more on this story go to: http://mashable.com/2015/06/03/russia-soccer-scandals/?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
See also iNews Cayman story today “Sepp Blatter’s not gone yet. Qatar 2022 is FIFA’s real test of reform”