FIFA president Gianni Infantino says he’s not fearing hooligan trouble at the World Cup in Russia next year despite reported threats against foreign fans.
Euro 2016 was rocked by violence between rival football fans last summer with Marseille witnessing the worst scenes before and after the clash between England and Russia on the opening weekend of the tournament.
British police deployed in the French city compared the scenes to a “battlefield” and said the violence was the most brutal they had ever witnessed, with a Russian gang using military tactics to deliver savage beatings to England supporters.
Speaking on Thursday in Qatar, who host the 2022 World Cup, Infantino said: “I am not concerned about trouble in 2018, I have full confidence in the Russian authorities.
“They are taking this matter very, very seriously. They have been in contact together with FIFA and with UEFA.
“Also, with the French organisers to learn the lessons from what happened in France and this matter is taken with utmost seriousness by all parties involved.”
Infantino also stressed that he had not asked Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko to resign as chief organiser.
Mutko has faced questions about his role as head of the Russian organising committee after being linked to doping by Russian athletes.
Mutko has denied any link to the scandal which a report by a World Anti-Doping Agency investigator said was “state sponsored”.
Infantino also added that he intended to push for co-hosting at the 2026 World Cup that could bring together several countries working together.
“We will encourage co-hosting for the World Cup because we need FIFA to show we are reasonable and we have to think about sustainability long-term,” Infantino said.
“It is perfectly in line with our sustainability and legacy to bring together two, three, four countries who can jointly present a project with three, four, five stadiums each.
“We will certainly encourage it. Ideally the countries will be close to each other for the sake of ease of travel.”
The only time FIFA has previously sanctioned co-hosting was in 2002 when Japan and South Korea staged a tournament that was widely heralded as a success.
