MOSCOW (Sputnik) —The International Football Federation (FIFA) will respond to the request of the Russian World Cup 2018 organizing committee, to introduce cheaper tickets for Russian citizens who want to attend World Cup matches, at the FIFA Congress in Mexico, the Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Saturday.
According to Mutko’s earlier statement, during the congress in Mexico which runs from June 14 to July 15, 2018, FIFA and Russia will discuss the introduction of the fourth price category for Russians who want to watch the World Cup.
"We urge FIFA to grant us such tickets…We agreed that at the FIFA Congress in Mexico, they will give us the reply to our request," Mutko told R-Sport.
According to the minister, the current exchange rate makes it more difficult for Russian citizens to buy tournament tickets than it was in the previous years.
From June 14 to July 15, 2018, Russia will host the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history. Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Yakaterinburg and Kaliningrad are among the cities that will host the competition.
Since 2014, the sharp decline in global oil prices and a series of western sanctions against Russia have led the country’s authorities to project slowed economic growth for the Russian economy.
