MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President Joseph Blatter said that the 2018 FIFA World Cup is going to take place in Russia as planned, according to Spiegel Online.
“We are definitely holding the World Cup in Russia. We have confidence in the organizers of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups,” Blatter was quoted as saying by Spiegel Online.
The FIFA president’s remarks come in light of the new set of sanctions currently being developed by the European Commission that may affect sporting events among other spheres.
New sanctions may also include more restrictive measures on technology exports for oil industry, the expansion of the export ban on certain goods of military and civilian use, the ban of syndicated EU loans to Russian state-owned banks and institutions, and other measures.
The European Commission is expected to prepare the final draft of new sanctions against Moscow by Wednesday, and the EU leaders are to take the final decision on the sanctions implementation by Friday.
Russia was awarded the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup on December 2, 2010. The championship will be hosted by 11 Russian cities, namely Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Saransk, Sochi, St. Petersburg, and Volgograd.
