ZURICH: FIFA’s disgraced ex-president Sepp Blatter has told AFP he will go to next year’s World Cup in Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, despite being banned from football.
“I will go to the World Cup in Russia. I received an invitation from President Putin,” the 81-year-old said in an interview.
A Kremlin spokesman said Russia will “be happy to see (Blatter) in Moscow.”
“You know that Putin and Blatter have for a long time been, you could say, friends,” Dmitri Peskov told reporters.
“The World Cup is a great celebration of football and everyone who is invited will be welcome, and old friends will also be welcome,” the Kremlin spokesman further said.
Blatter told AFP that Michel Platini, the ex-UEFA president who is banned from football over corruption, had also been invited to the tournament by Putin.
But according to one of his close allies Platini “hasn’t received an invitation from Putin to go to the World Cup and doesn’t know what he will be doing next summer.”
Blatter, who led world football’s governing body for 17 years, was thrown out of the sport in 2015 at the height of a massive corruption scandal.
FIFA’s ethics committee has suspended him from all football-related activities for six years after finding him guilty of accepting an improper 2 million Swiss franc ($2.1 million, 1.8 million euros) payment from then-UEFA chief Platini.
But the ever-defiant Blatter said he had no plans to miss the World Cup, an event he has habitually attended since going to work at FIFA in the 1970s.
“I don’t know how long I will go for, whether I will be there for the opening match or the final,” he said during the interview in Zurich.
“Because I can’t work in football and I don’t have an assignment to do, maybe I will only make a short visit.”
Blatter is also the target of an investigation by Swiss prosecutors over alleged criminal mismanagement at FIFA and the infamous Platini payment.
Switzerland has ongoing probes into the 2018 World Cup, including possible bribery and corruption that may have led to Russia winning hosting rights.
“I’m sure that World Cup 2018 will be a great World Cup. Russia has to show that it can welcome the whole world. It’s a big challenge,” Blatter said.
It was not immediately clear how the FIFA ban would impact Blatter’s attendance at matches or events.
Platini, banned from football for four years, was allowed to attend Euro 2016 matches in his native France, provided he played no official role.
Blatter says he is going to World Cup at Putin’s invitation
Blatter says he is going to World Cup at Putin’s invitation
Al-Ahli hand Al-Nassr first defeat of SPL campaign in Jeddah thriller
- Ronaldo fluffs his lines as league leaders beaten 3-2
- Win strengthens Al-Ahli’s hold on 4th place, just 6 points off top
RIYADH: Al-Ahli beat Al-Nassr 3-2 in a Saudi Pro League thriller in Jeddah on Friday night, handing Cristiano Ronaldo’s charges their first league defeat of the season.
Al-Ahli made a blistering start, needing just 59 seconds to threaten the Al-Nassr goal. Nawaf Al-Aqidi saved Wenderson Galeno’s initial effort before Matheus Goncalves blazed the rebound over the bar.
The hosts remained on the front foot, repeatedly exploiting the space behind right-back Sultan Al-Ghannam. That approach paid dividends in the seventh minute, when Galeno broke into space and squared the ball to Ivan Toney, who finished calmly to open the scoring.
Al-Ahli continued to target the same channel, with Galeno again involved as he laid the ball off to Ali Majrashi, whose effort drifted inches wide of the post.
Majrashi redeemed himself minutes later when a long ball, combined with a clever run from Toney, broke the Al-Nassr offside trap. The English striker confidently finished past Al-Aqidi in the 20th minute for his second goal of the night and his eighth of the league campaign.
By the half-hour mark, Al-Ahli were firmly in control, with Al-Nassr struggling to create any clear chances. That changed in the 30th minute when a bold long-range effort from center back Abdulelah Al-Amri was mishandled by goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi, allowing the visitors to pull one back.
Momentum swung in Al-Nassr’s favor, although Saad Al-Nasser denied Feras Al-Brikan a potential third goal for Al-Ahli with a brave slide tackle on the edge of the six-yard box.
That missed opportunity proved costly, when on the brink of halftime Al-Amri rose highest to head home the equalizer.
Stoppage time brought further drama, as Al-Nassr went close at one end before Al-Ahli launched a swift counterattack and found Toney inside the box. The former Brentford striker struck the post to cap a thrilling first half.
The intensity was maintained in the second half, but it was Al-Ahli who regained the upper hand. A corner delivered to the far post in the 54th minute was met by Toney, who cleverly flicked the ball back into the danger area with his heel for Merih Demiral to score.
Al-Nassr were handed a golden opportunity to equalize just after the hour when Ronaldo found space in front of goal. But the league’s joint top scorer stumbled as he attempted to control the ball and the chance went begging.
Al-Ahli held firm through to the final whistle, although tempers flared deep into stoppage time.
Majrashi was shown a red card following a late scuffle, while Al-Nassr were also reduced to 10 when Nawaf Bu Washl was dismissed for denying Saleh Abou Al-Shamat a clear goalscoring opportunity as the last defender.
Elsewhere in the league, Georginio Wijnaldum inspired Al-Ettifaq to their fifth victory of the season with his second consecutive brace.
The Dutch midfielder opened the scoring in the 54th minute before converting from the spot in the 76th, leading The Commandos to a 2-0 win over Al-Okhdood and lifting them temporarily into seventh place on 19 points.
In the day’s third fixture, Samir Caetano’s stoppage-time equalizer earned Al-Najma their second point of the season in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Al-Khaleej.
The SPL action resumes on Saturday, with Al-Fateh hosting Al-Shabab, followed by Al-Fayha against Al-Kholood and Al-Ittihad versus Al-Taawoun.
