"Brazil is interested in the development of a long-term program designed to create a solid training system for Russian football players," head of the Federal Agency for Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism Vyacheslav Fetisov told a RIA Novosti correspondent. "We have to start with youth football. We hope that the Brazilians could be of great help to us because they have enormous experience in this field."
Mr. Fetisov visited Rio de Janeiro to establish close ties and active exchange in the sphere of sports and tourism between the two countries. During the official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Brazil, Vyacheslav Fetisov will sign a Russian-Brazilian agreement on cooperation in sports with his Brazilian counterpart Agnelo Queiroz.
In his turn, Brazilian Sports Minister Agnelo Queiroz told RIA Novosti that Brazil was ready to help Russian football in exchange for Russian assistance to Brazil in the development of other sports.
"Brazilian football has a prominent reputation in the world. The bilateral cooperation in the sphere where Brazil maintains strong positions will certainly help Russia to develop its national school of football training," the Brazilian minister believes.
"We will send out coaches to Russia," the minister promised. In addition, Russian football teams will be able to train in Brazil.
Mr. Queiroz underlined that Russia, in its turn, could help Brazil to develop the sports varieties where Russian athletes have been traditionally strong. "We are very interested in this exchange," the minister emphasized.
He admitted that such sports as track and field athletics, heavy lifting, gymnastics, swimming, water polo, free-style and Greco-Roman wrestling are poorly developed in Brazil.
The minister pointed out that Russia had rich traditions in sports while in Brazil sports became an instrument of state politics only after President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva had come to power two years ago.
FIFA Honorary President, Dr. Joao Havelange also promised to assist in solving the problems of Russian football and its future development. "I can assure you that I will use all my experience and contacts to help Russia to overcome the existing crisis in football," Dr. Havelange said during the meeting with Vyacheslav Fetisov.
"Considering rich experience that Russia has in organizing high-level sports competitions, I believe it could host a Junior Football World Championship (up to 20 years of age) and a Women's Football World Championship," the FIFA Honorary President stated.
He underlined that he would lobby Moscow's candidature as the host of the 2018 World Football Championship.
The FIFA Honorary President expressed his disappointment with the fact that after the collapse of the Soviet Union the world had become unstable. "We all miss a strong and stable Russia that could provide balance to the world."
