MOSCOW, September 5 (RIA Novosti) - The governor of Krasnodar Territory, Alexander Tkachev, thinks that the statements of European politicians who have called for sanctions against sporting events being held together with Russia are ludicrous.
"To be honest, the proposal of some EU politicians to sanction Russia by banning it from hosting FIFA World Cup 2018 sounds awkward. I know that the European Union only wants to harm Russia as badly as possible, but bringing sports into the matter is totally unjustified", Tkachev tweeted.
Thus the Russian governor, who has demonstrated his interest in football more than once and took it upon himself to spearhead the construction of new arenas in Kuban, reacted strongly to a series of publications in the Western media claiming that the EU’s new sanctions against Russia would affect not only the economic and financial sectors, but culture and sports as well.
"It’s good that there are smarter people in FIFA’s headquarters; it’s been confirmed in a statement issued by [the FIFA president Sepp] Blatter that FIFA World Cup 2018 will be hosted in Russia", Tkachev added.
On Tuesday, FIFA President Joseph Blatter said that the 2018 FIFA World Cup is going to take place in Russia as planned, according to Spiegel Online.
