World Cup 2018: Vladimir Putin and Gianni Infantino play power politics ahead of Fifa's big day
Infantino revealed he would be standing for re-election next year
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Your support makes all the difference.Vladimir Putin was the surprise guest of honour on a day of realpolitik and re-election talk at Fifa’s annual gathering on the eve of the World Cup 2018 in Moscow.
The former came in the shape of a convincing win for Canada, Mexico and the United States over Morocco in the bidding contest for the World Cup 2026 – the economic muscle of the North American bid was simply too strong for the Fifa electorate to ignore, no matter how compelling a second World Cup in Africa might be.
And Gianni Infantino fired the gun on next year’s Fifa presidential race when he closed the 68th Congress by announcing he wants another term to continue the rehabilitation of the organisation’s finances and reputation after the scandals of Sepp Blatter’s reign.
The former Uefa general secretary was in his element here, listing his hits, glossing over his misses, switching effortlessly between languages and smiling benevolently when the room delivered his preferred 2026 hosts, but it was his interaction with Putin that was particularly fascinating.
The Russian president was not scheduled to visit but the huge security presence and nervous looks on the faces of Fifa staff suggested something was up.
He appeared on stage midway through the morning. Infantino bounded over to warmly greet him and most of the delegates, with the noticeable exception of Football Association chairman Greg Clarke and chief executive Martin Glenn, stood for applause.
The leader of the world’s largest country then shook the hands of several Fifa Council members, including England’s David Gill, and started to speak to the audience in Russian.
He thanked them all for being “one big team” that has helped Russia prepare for the “most significant event in global sport”.
He said his country was ready to welcome players, fans and viewers at home to an “unforgettable and vibrant tournament...the creme de la creme of football”.
The former KGB officer singled out Infantino for praise, saying he “always had positive sentiments” for Russia and was a “good frontman and a true fighter”, qualities many have noted in Putin.
And in a barbed reference to his critics, he claimed “sport is beyond politics” and Russia has always had “close ties with those who see the incredible potential for human development” that events like the World Cup present.
This was music to Infantino’s ears and he gave Putin a “big, big thank you from the bottom of our hearts” for Russia’s “engagement” with the World Cup. He then escorted Putin off the stage and the conference stopped for an unscheduled coffee break.
The vote on 2026 followed soon after but the predicted suspense failed to develop and the only thing surprising about the result was the extent of the United victory: 134 to 65, with Russia among those to make a late switch to the ‘winning side’.
Having started the day by telling the member associations that Fifa was “clinically dead” when he took over in 2016 and reminding them of the four-fold increase in grants he had given them, Infantino closed the day by saying there was more of that to come if only they would let him finish his work by voting for him in Paris next June.
It was a performance Blatter and Putin would have admired.
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