FIFA Asks Putin to Speak

March 18, 2010

FIFA, world football’s governing association, has invited Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to appear in Zurich in December to speak on Russia’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

The countries competing for the honor will support their bids at FIFA headquarters Dec. 2, after which the federation will announce its choice.

Putin spoke in English when he addressed Olympic officials a few years ago to promote the country’s winning bid to hold the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, which apparently left an imprint on sports executives worldwide.

“Everybody remembers how you worked to present the bid for Sochi,” First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said at a Presidium meeting.

Putin did not immediately react to the invitation. Thirteen countries have expressed their intention to compete for the right to host the Cup, some of them jointly.

(MT)

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