March 26 – Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich has revealed that is prepared to serve on the Russian Football Union’s (RFU) advisory board if he receives a formal invitation, which could see him playing a leading role in the country’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup, his spokesman said today.
By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
March 18 – Vladimir Putin (pictured) is being urged to reprise his successful role in bringing the 2014 Olympics to Sochi and personally lead Russia’s bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup in December.
By Duncan Mackay
February 3 – Former Zenit Saint Petersburg President Sergei Fursenko (pictured) was elected as the new president of the Russian Football Union (RFU) at a special conference today and immediately set his sights on ehlping the country win its bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
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By Duncan Mackay
February 1 – It is too early to evaluate the strength of the candidates who want to host the 2018 World Cup, the head of Russia’s bid Alexey Sorokin (pictured) has claimed.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 23 – Markus Siegler (pictured), the newly appointed special advisor to Russia’s 2018 World Cup bid, insists the country has all the has necessary attributes to stage the tournament and is determined to use his unique contacts to bring it about.
January 22 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter today met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow to discuss Russia’s bid to host the 2018 or the 2022 World Cup.
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By Andrew Warshaw
January 22 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter is in Moscow for an update on the country’s bid to stage the 2018 World Cup.
By Duncan Mackay
January 15 – Russia’s bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup today announced it had signed up its second sponsor of the week when law firm Yust were unveiled.
By Duncan Mackay
January 11 – Russia tonight announced BDO, part of the world’s fifth-large global network of independent auditors and a company which worked on Sochi’s successful campaign to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, as a supporter of their bid to host the 2018-2022 World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – Russia have re-iterated their determination to stage the 2018 World Cup by stressing again that the country has all the necessary tools to meet FIFA requirements.
By Andrew Warshaw in Johannesburg
December 2 – As public relations campaigns go, Russia’s 2018 World Cup delegation at the Soccerex conference in Johannesburg could not have done much more than name their imposing stand Red Square Lounge.
By David Owen
November 20 – Russia might have crashed out of the 2010 World Cup last night, but its bid to stage the tournament in 2018 or 2022 appears to be gathering momentum.
November 17 – Vitaly Mutko (pictured) will step down next week as President of the Russian Football Union (RFU) because it clashes with his position as the country’s Sports Minister and he is set to be replaced by Sergei Kapkov, a close friend of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 10 – Former Russian captain Alexei Smertin (pictured), who spent three years at Chelsea, believes his country has a better case for staging the 2018 World Cup than England.
October 15 – Russia has a good chance of being chosen to host the 2018 World Cup, FIFA President Sepp Blatter claimed after a meeting in Moscow today with the country’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.