MOSCOW: Russia’s preparations for the 2018 World Cup took another step forward when President Vladimir Putin signed off on the ‘World Cup Law’ that will underpin the event.

RIA Novosti has reported that the main aspect of the law that will impact on the Russian way of life will be the granting of powers allowing FIFA to stop commerce in large areas of the 2018 World Cup host cities.

FIFA or its nominees must give written approval for any trading or advertising within two kilometres of a stadium on match day. The news agency reports that this aspect will cover several Moscow districts home to 10s of thousands of people and most of central Volgograd.

The bill passed its first reading in November and while it does not specify punishments for rule infractions, it adds that any cases will be treated as breaches of Russian antitrust law.

The law also exempts FIFA from Russian tax and will see another major change to the country’s sporting regulations.

Russia currently operates a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol at sporting events, but this will be lifted for the World Cup. The sale of alcohol was one of the main sticking points behind Brazil’s implementation of its World Cup Law for the 2014 tournament – a bill that was finally signed off by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in June 2012.

FIFA had wanted the law put in place earlier in the year and it was a cause of increased tensions between world football’s governing body and local organisers.

The sale of alcohol inside World Cup venues is a major issue as Budweiser is a key World Cup sponsor.

Ban switch

FIFA had demanded that Brazil’s current ban on alcohol at football venues be changed, but critics said it took Brazil a long time to introduce the ban, a move that helped reduce fan violence at games.

Russia 2018 said last month that it expected the country’s World Cup law to be signed off this year and it appears the path to its approval has run smoother than that of Brazil’s.

The competition’s complex nature calls for legal regulations to be introduced in various spheres of law and business, therefore making the adoption of a federal law one of the top priorities for the local organising committee and FIFA.

The law aligns the Russian legal system to the needs of the competition, and guarantees the commitments Russia gave during the bidding process in 2010.

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Monday, June 10, 2013 Putin signs off on Russia 2018’s World Cup Law Russia’s preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup took another step forward on Friday as President Vladimir Putin signed off on the ‘World Cup Law’ that will govern the event. The law aligns the Russian legal system to the needs of the competition…. read more UEFA’s Infantino steps into World Cup debate UEFA secretary general Gianni Infantino has become the latest senior football official to speak out over the scheduling of World Cups, stating the event should be played in the optimum weather conditions in the country in which it is staged…. read more Dynamo Kyiv banks new sponsor Leading Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv has agreed a three-year shirt sponsorship deal with Nadra Bank…. read more Liverpool close to Anfield breakthrough – Ayre Liverpool is set to submit a planning application for its proposed £150 million redevelopment of its Anfield home before the start of next season, according to managing director Ian Ayre…. read more Malaga owner committed to club – Shatat Malaga vice-president Moayad Shatat has moved to reiterate Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani’s commitment to the Primera Division club amid renewed speculation regarding the Qatari’s ownership…. read more Prefer your news online? Stopped receiving your usual copy? Click here! Euro 2016 to deliver record sponsorship revenue for UEFA Luke Harman, reporter for Sports Sponsorship Insider, discusses the implications of UEFA’s new commercial strategy…. UEFA announced two new national team competition sponsorship deals with beer brand Carlsberg and Azeri oil producer Socar in May – both of which will contribute to a major increase in sponsorship revenue for the European football governing body…. read more