MOSCOW: Russian World Cup organisers have said that security measures will be stepped up for the 2018 finals.
Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said: “Security measures will be tightened following the recent events in the world. The security concept has been coordinated. A special FIFA delegation will come on November 30.”
Mutko is also chairman of the local organizing committee, head of the Russian football federation and a member of the executive committee of world federation FIFA.
He is confident that fifa is satisfied with Russia’s preparations for the 2018 World Cup.
Mutko said: “We are looking forward to the great event. Today we’ve discussed in detail preparations for the World Cup with our colleagues. This is a joint project and we work as one team. We are grateful to all FIFA colleagues.“FIFA is a major organization and the World Cup is its biggest project. Of course, we are planning to fulfill all obligations.”
Mutko was speaking at a press conference alongside, Markus Kattner, FIFA’s acting secretary general. The pair said there would be particular focus on protecting crowds of fans gathered in city-centre fan zones, where security is often lighter than at stadiums.
Today’s announcement comes in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris and also just weeks since a Russian airliner was brought down over Sinai, killing all 224 people on board. Responsibility for both attacks was claimed by Islamic State, purportedly in retaliation for air strikes carried out by both French and Russian forces in Syria.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15 with matches staged at 12 stadiums in 11 Russian cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, Volgograd and Saransk.
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