US ‘Not Trying’ to Influence FIFA, Venue for 2018 World Cup - DoS

The United States is not attempting to influence the International Federation of Association Football’s (FIFA) internal practices or the choice for venue for the 2018 World Cup, US Department of State spokesperson Jeff Rathke told journalists on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Asked whether the US administration has a position on the venue for the 2018 World Cup, Rathke stressed the very specific allegations of the US Department of Justice’s indictment show they “don’t have anything to do with that topic.”

“The suggestion that we are trying to have an influence over the internal processes in FIFA, that’s not the point.”

On Wednesday, seven FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich, Switzerland on corruption charges per a US request.

The Unites States accuses the FIFA officials of fraud, racketeering and money laundering in shady marketing and broadcasting deals over the past 20 years. According to the US Justice Department, the suspects received some $150 million in bribes and may now face extradition to the United States.

Switzerland launched a separate probe into the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup football tournaments, to be hosted by Russia and Qatar respectively.

Rathke said in response to Thursday’s statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Washington has made another clear attempt to spread its jurisdiction to other countries that: “It’s not accurate. That’s not what we’ve done and that’s not what we are doing.”

Russia was awarded the right to host the 2018 World Cup following a FIFA Executive Committee vote in December 2010. The 2018 World Cup will take place from June 14 to July 15 in 11 Russian cities, including Moscow, Ekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Saransk, Sochi, and Volgograd.