Moscow--Russia insisted Wednesday that it was pushing on with preparations for the 2018 World Cup despite the shock resignation of FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, who is fiercely backed by the Kremlin despite a corruption scandal.
"The main thing is Russia is continuing preparations for the 2018 World Cup," said President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
"All plans are being implemented, work is under way," Peskov told reporters.
Putin last week lashed out at the United States for a corruption probe into FIFA, alleging it was an attempt to oust Blatter after he resisted pressure to take away the 2018 World Cup from Russia.
A Swiss probe is investigasting "irregularities" in the awarding of both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, sparking calls from some in the game for the bidding process to be re-run.
Putin's spokesman admitted that Blatter's resignation had "of course" caught the Kremlin by surprise.
"We still do not have any information about what the reason for this resignation was," Peskov said.
The 79-year-old Swiss official quit just days after being re-elected to a fifth term as president of FIFA on Friday amid an FBI corruption investigation that has zeroed in on the football chief.
Blatter has repeatedly pleaded his innocence and that of FIFA.
Asked if the Kremlin feared that the 2018 World Cup may be reconsidered, Peskov said: "We do not know who (will be) the new head of FIFA. He will appear not tomorrow nor the day after tomorrow but later, so let's not hurry."
Russia and the West are locked in their worst standoff since the Cold War over the Ukraine crisis and some hawkish US senators have demanded the 2018 event to be taken away from Russia.
AFP
