Exclusive: England World Cup bid will not be distracted by Russian claims promises Sports Minister

By Duncan Mackay in London
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year

September 10 – England 2018 will not be drawn into a war of words with its main rival Russia following potentially explosive claims by that country’s World Cup bid leader Vitaly Mutko, Sports Minister Hugh Robertson has promised.

Mutko, Robertson’s counterpart as Sports Minister in Russia and also the chairman of the country’s bid, is angry over claims that football in Russia is racist following treatment suffered by Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie after his move from Lokomotiv Moscow to West Bromwich Albion.

Mutko has hit back by alleging that there is just as much corruption and racism in English football as there is in the rest of the world, including Russia – comments that could lead to him being sanctioned by FIFA’s Ethics Committee if England 2018 were to complain.

But Robertson wants England to stay focussed on its own campaign and not get sidetracked less than three months before the FIFA Executive Committee meet in Zurich on December to choose the host countries for 2018 and 2022.

“I think the most important thing for England is concentrate on the core strengths of our bid and not to be diverted by noises elsewhere,” Robertson told insideworldfootball.

“I don’t have an extensive knowledge of international bids but as soon as you start addressing other people’s bids, rather than talking to the strengths of your own, you almost always get in trouble.”

Robertson is confident that England’s bid is so strong it can withstand the allegations made by Mutko.

He pointed to the fact that an advantage that England have over any of their rivals is that they have more world-class stadium ready to host World Cup matches than any other candidate.

The FIFA inspectors, meanwhile, drew attention to the fact that if Russia were awarded the tournament it would require a massive building project to be ready in time.

“What I want from England is to concentrate on their fantastic core strengths of our bid – the fact that our stadia are up and running, the fact that we have a guaranteed economic return, the fact we can deliver an economic legacy for football – and to allow the strengths of England’s bid to speak for itself,” Robertson said.

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