© JumpStory
The Kremlin on Tuesday categorically denied suspicions that Russia had bribed officials of the International Football Federation (FIFA) for the right to host the 2018 World Cup, according to lrytas.lt website. "Russia legally acquired the right to host the World Cup," Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov told journalists. According to him, this decision "was not related to any bribes", Russia "categorically denies" it. "Russia organized the best World Cup in history. We are proud of that," added the representative. Documents released by the US Department of Justice on Monday indicate that FIFA officials received bribes to vote for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup, and the right to organize the 2022 World Cup was given to Qatar. "We read articles in the media. We don't understand what is being said," said D. Peskov. The suspicions are related to a huge corruption scandal that erupted in 2015, involving FIFA and leading to the downfall of then president Sepp Blatter. In later years, the US government accused 45 individuals and various sports companies of more than 90 crimes, involving more than 200 million dollars (185.3 million euros) in bribes.
