Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pledged Russia would scrap visas if it hosted the World Cup in 2018 or 2022, giving his impassioned backing to its bid to host the showpiece for the first time. The Russian strongman - widely credited for securing the 2014 Winter Olympic Games for his country - told FIFA inspectors evaluating the viability of its bid that Russia would be able to organise a high quality World Cup.
"If FIFA grant us the honour to hold the World Cup we are ready to provide them with all possible government guarantees," Putin said. "That means we are ready to put into action visa-free regime for the participants and the guests of the World Cup. Currently, nationals of almost all countries outside the former Soviet Union require visas to visit Russia, an often expensive and time-consuming process. "Russia will hold the event at the highest possible level," the prime minister added. "I have no doubt that it will be interesting for both the participants and the guests of the event and they will enjoy it."
Putin added that construction and reconstruction works at the country's possible World Cup facilities would take place even if Russia's bid to host the 2018 or 2022 tournaments failed. As Russian president, Putin headed the country's delegation at an International Olympic Committee meeting in Guatemala that resulted in the southern resort of Sochi winning the right to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. Then, Putin gave an unprecedented and impassioned speech in English that was widely seen as tipping the balance in favour of Russia's bid.
Russia's first deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov, the head of the Russian Football Union (RFU) Sergei Fursenko and Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko also took part in the meeting with the FIFA six-man board, led by the President of Chilean Football Federation Harold Mayne-Nicholls. Mayne-Nicholls said he was delighted to see the government was fully supporting the country's World Cup hosting bid.
On Wednesday the inspectors, who arrived in Saint Petersburg on Monday, are set to visit Kazan, the hometown of Russia's reigning football champions Rubin and Sochi. On Thursday the FIFA inspectors will return to Moscow to hold a news conference before their departure. Russia's bid book, which was sent to FIFA on May, suggested the World Cup would be staged by 13 cities grouped into four clusters, which are situated mainly in the European part of the country.
Kaliningrad and Saint Petersburg were included into the northern cluster, while Moscow and Moscow region towns formed the central cluster. Russia is the inspectors' fifth stop in their tour of nine countries that are bidding to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup tournaments.
The FIFA delegates are also expected to visit England, Spain and Portugal, who also prepared a joint bid, the United States and Qatar and will draw up reports on the feasibility of each bid. Japan, South Korea, Australia and Qatar - all members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) - have submitted bids for 2022 only, while the others are seeking to host either 2018 or 2022. FIFA's 24 executives will choose the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts on December 2 in Zurich.