By David Gold
March 20 – FIFA will make a decision on which cities will host matches at the Russia 2018 World Cup this September, it was confirmed today.
The announcement was made at a press conference in Moscow, with Russia 2018 chief executive Alexey Sorokin (pictured left) and Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko (centre), also the organising committee chairman, in attendance along with FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil.
The host cities were initially to be confirmed in 2013, but Russia opted to bring forward the announcement a year to give them more time to prepare for the World Cup.
It was also confirmed that there will be 11 host cities, with two stadia in Moscow and one in the rest.
That means that Dynamo Moscow and Spartak Moscow will compete for their stadium to be used during the World Cup, as well as the Luzhniki in Moscow.
St Petersburg (pictured), Kazan, Sochi and Yekaterinburg are all set to be confirmed as host cities for the World Cup later this year, while other candidates include Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Volgograd, Samara, Saransk, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl and Kaliningrad.
FIFA will be given a two-and-a-half month tour from April around the potential host cities ahead of the announcement.
Sorokin said: “The leading criterion is the ability to hold a sports festival with all one’s heart…to show Russian hospitality and how brilliantly, beautifully and with such warmth we can hold the World Cup.”
Sorokin added that they hoped to “show the whole world that old stereotypes don’t exist anymore, that Russia is new, that Russia is young, and that Russia is a worthy partner for the world not only in the football arena but in everyday life.”
Russia 2018 also unveiled an interim event mark for the World Cup, a picture of the famous World Cup trophy on a red background, which Mutko was keen to emphasise was only a temporary measure.
“This is an interim mark, don’t judge us on the quality and look on the mark,” he said.
“It has been done to be readable, easily recognisable and combined with the World Cup.
“It has not been done in a creative way – that is to come.
“This is a mark which…will be used from now until the real emblem is launched.
“This mark will only be used on certain locations here in Russia, when the host city announcement is done in September.
“Also the commercial affiliates who sign up will be able to use the mark.”
With the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the Moscow 2013 World Athletics Championships and a host of other sports events heading to the country in the coming years, Mutko expressed his hope that the industry would see the benefits.
He said that in total some 226 billion roubles (£4.9 billion/$7.7 billion/€5.8 billion) was being invested into the industry in the coming years.
Also announced today was that Igor Akinfeev (pictured), the CSKA Moscow goalkeeper, would be the first Russia 2018 ambassador.
“Igor is a true role model for millions of Russian boys, and he embodies all the best qualities of a man and a sportsman,” Mutko said.
“He’s a real pro and a gentleman, not to mention honest and decent.
“In a word, he’s a genuine captain and a leader of every team he plays for.
“Moreover, Akinfeev is one of those players whom undoubtedly carry the hopes of the Russia national team at the 2018 World Cup.”
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