'All Going Well' After FIFA's Probe of 2018 World Cup Sites

Things are going well after FIFA’s tour of Russian cities set to host 2018 World Football Cup, with the a report from the international body expected on Tuesday, Russian Minister of Sport Vitaly Mutko said Monday after a meeting with FIFA Director of Competitions Colin Smith.

MOSCO, September 12 (Sputnik) – On Monday, FIFA experts verified stadiums being  under construction to host World Football Cup competitions in 2018, in the framework of an operational visit to Russia. The stadiums visited by FIFA are situated in the European part of Russia — in Moscow at the Luzhniki stadium, as well as in St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Saransk and Kaliningrad.

“My meeting with Colin Smith has completed, he has provided me with general information: there are no big issues, the things are going well. There are some questions concerning a number of regions, but, in general, it looks quite adequate. Yes, it may be concluded that everything is going well,” Mutko told Ria Novosti over the phone.

He added that a report on the FIFA representatives' visit to five Russian cities would be released on Tuesday, concluding that “everything is going normal and at a good level.”

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held from June 14 to July 15 in 11 Russian cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi and Volgograd. According to chief of the Russia 2018 Organizing Committee Alexei Sorokin, Russia will spend over $10 billion on the 2018 World Cup.

The ban on Russia imposed  to compete at the Rio 2016 Paralympics following the country’s doping scandal caused concerns over whether Russia will face obstacles to hosting World Football Cup in 2018.