Putin: 'America wants Russia to lose the right to host the 2018 World Cup'

The two countries hosting the 2018 and 2022 World Cups could be stripped of this right, after FIFA officials were arrested for corruption on May 27.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has just made a strong statement after six senior officials of the World Football Federation (FIFA) were arrested on May 27. These officials were arrested by Swiss police, at the request of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Justice, on corruption charges. The Kremlin leader said that the US is trying to push President Sepp Blatter out of FIFA and make Russia lose the right to host the 2018 World Cup.

"This has nothing to do with the United States. This is another clear move by the United States to extend its judgment to other territories," President Putin said. "Pressure is being put on Mr. Blatter with the aim of making Russia lose the right to host the World Cup. Sports and politics should be kept separate."

President Putin added that the arrest of FIFA officials just two days before the election of a new president showed that the US wanted to prevent Mr Blatter from being re-elected.

FIFA President Blatter (left) hands over the right to host the 2018 World Cup to the Russian president. Photo: Reuters.

According to a survey by Russia's leading sports newspaper, Sovietsky Sport, 36% of readers believe that the arrest of FIFA officials is intended to cause Russia to lose the right to host the world's biggest football festival.

FIFA is embroiled in the biggest scandal of the past century when many high-ranking officials of the world football governing body are accused of receiving bribes of 150 million dollars. Many investigations in Switzerland have also discovered irregularities in the bidding for the right to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Accordingly, Russia and Qatar are suspected of bribing some FIFA officials to gain votes.

Russia beat England in the race to host the 2018 World Cup. Two FIFA executive committee members who had pledged to support England were disqualified before the vote, accused of taking bribes in exchange for votes. The animosity between the British and Russian campaign groups was further intensified by fierce criticism from both sides.

In the race to host the 2022 World Cup, Qatar also surprisingly won against Australia. Many accusations later that Qatar used money to buy votes broke out. Qatar's winning the right to host the World Cup also had many consequences, including the decision to hold the World Cup in winter for the first time because summer in Qatar is hotter than 42 degrees Celsius.

In recent years, FIFA's reputation has been in a terrible decline. From suspicions of lottery fraud, Brazilian protests against the 2014 World Cup to corruption, Blatter's integrity is being questioned.

According to VNE