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Putin orders sports minister to prepare bid for 2018
World Cup
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered
on Tuesday the country's sports minister to ready Russia's proposal for
the right to host the 2018 World Cup.
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Photo: rian.ru
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At a meeting in Moscow, Putin told Vitaly Mutko to "prepare
a bid for Russia to hold the 2018 World Cup."
Mutko, who earlier told RIA Novosti that a final decision on the bid would
be taken in September, said that 10 cities with suitable infrastructure
would be necessary to hold the tournament. He also said a successful bid
would boost the Russian tourist industry.
"A bid to hold the World Cup is not a simple decision for the sports
ministry or for the government as there are certain financial problems.
But we need to look ahead. Crises come and go, but football remains,"
he said in April.
The 2018 World Cup is likely to be awarded to a European nation, as the
2010 World Cup is to be held in South Africa and the 2014 competition
in Brazil.
According to a report earlier submitted by Mutko, who is also the head
of Russian football's governing body, the country is ready to spend some
$10 billion on the tournament.
Five World Cup-level stadiums, according to Mutko's report, will be ready
by 2013 - two in Moscow and one apiece in St. Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi,
due to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
In addition to Russia, Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands, England,
Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Spain and Portugal, and the United States have
submitted applications to hold both the 2018 and the 2022 competitions,
while South Korea and Qatar have applied for just the 2022 World Cup,
FIFA said in March.
Russia's main rival for the right to hold the 2018 competition is likely
to be England, which has not hosted the World Cup since 1966. Russia's
bid may have been damaged by problems encountered by Euro 2012 joint hosts
Poland and Ukraine in their preparations for the competition. Euro 2012
is the first time a major soccer tournament has been awarded to Eastern
European nations.
The host countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be announced
by FIFA in December 2010. Under FIFA's new rotation rules, the same continent
cannot host consecutive World Cups, meaning that if England were awarded
the 2018 tournament then Russia would not be eligible for the 2022 finals.
RIA
Novosti, May 5, 2009
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