Strip Russia of World Cup – Clegg

27 July 2014 Last updated at 13:11 Fifa president Sepp Blatter met Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the World Cup in Brazil Russia should lose the right to host the 2018 World Cup as part of tougher sanctions following the plane crash in eastern Ukraine, Nick Clegg has said.

The UK deputy prime minister told the Sunday Times it was “unthinkable” that Russia should host the football event.

Pro-Russian separatist rebels have been accused of shooting down the Malaysia Airlines jet. Russia has suggested it could have been the Ukraine military.

World football governing body Fifa has rejected calls to change the 2018 host.

Responding after some German politicians also called for Russia to be boycotted, Fifa said the 2018 tournament could be a “force for good”.

The BBC’s Ross Hawkins said there was “no indication yet” of the PM backing Mr Clegg’s World Cup call

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed in eastern Ukraine on 17 July, killing all 298 people on board.

Western nations have accused Russia of arming rebels who allegedly shot down the plane, which Moscow denies.

On Friday the EU extended its sanctions list targeting Russians linked to the separatist uprising, taking the number of individuals and entities subject to asset freezes and travel bans past 100.

World status

Mr Clegg said a package of measures was needed to put pressure on Russia, but the threat of withdrawing the World Cup would be “a very potent political and symbolic sanction”.

“If there’s one thing that Vladimir Putin cares about, as far as I can see, it’s his sense of status,” he said.

“Maybe reminding him that you can’t retain the same status in the world if you ignore the rest of the world, maybe that will have some effect on his thinking.”

A Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister “does not believe we should reach immediately for boycotts”, but said it was “not surprising, given Russian behaviour, that people are starting to raise the issue”.

“It shows the importance of Russia changing course, before its international standing is damaged even further,” the spokesman said.

In response, Fifa repeated a statement it released last week following calls by a leading German MP, Michael Fuchs, for Russia to be stripped of the World Cup.

Mr Clegg said stripping Russia of the World Cup would be a “potent” sanction

Fifa said the World Cup could be a “powerful catalyst for constructive dialogue between people and governments, helping to bring positive social developments”.

“Fifa believes this will be the case for the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia,” it added.

‘Ugly aggression’

However, Mr Clegg said world leaders would look “so weak and so insincere” if the World Cup was allowed to go ahead in Russia without a change of course from President Putin.

“Vladimir Putin himself has to understand that he can’t have his cake and eat it,” the Liberal Democrat leader said.

“He can’t constantly… push the patience of the international community beyond breaking point, destabilise a neighbouring country, protect these armed separatists in the east of Ukraine and still have the privilege and honour of receiving all the accolades in 2018 for being the host nation of the World Cup.”

He added: “You can’t have this – the beautiful game marred by the ugly aggression of Russia on the Russian-Ukrainian border.”

Brazil hosted the 2014 World Cup

Mr Clegg also said Russia should not host a Grand Prix in October, but Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has said it will go ahead as planned.

Mr Clegg did not rule out the UK as a potential alternative host for 2018 – saying the country had the required stadiums, infrastructure and “enthusiasm”.

But he said his call was not a “British land grab to snatch the World Cup from under Vladimir Putin’s nose”.

Douglas Alexander, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, said Fifa should reconsider whether Russia was “fit” to host the 2018 World Cup if proof emerged it had “direct responsibly for downing flight MH17”.

“Fifa should therefore be undertaking contingency planning now so that, if required, alternative plans are in place in plenty of time for teams and fans from around the world”, he said.

BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said Mr Clegg’s comments were “another example of increasingly strident diplomatic language” from the UK over Russia.

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VIDEO: Rodriguez’s six World Cup goals

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Major challenges for World Cup 2018

22 July 2014 Last updated at 14:16 By Rafael Saakov BBC Russian Service Fifa’s focus will now be on the World Cup 2018 host Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin After what was largely considered to be a successful World Cup in Brazil, international attention now turns to the next hosts, Russia.

Whether current political tensions between Russia and the West will have any bearing on the staging of the tournament remains to be seen.

What does seem assured is that the 2018 World Cup is set to top Brazil 2014 as the most expensive in history, with Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko saying the budget for the tournament could total $40bn, having earlier estimated it at $19bn.

The estimated cost of the stadiums alone in Brazil, in comparison, was in the region of $4bn.

Critics in Russia point to the fact that the minimum capacity for World Cup venues is 45,000, while the average attendance for the Russian Premier League is 11,500.

“Stadiums have a function, but they must not just lie empty,” says Nikolay Levshits, a Moscow-based campaigner and activist.

“The construction costs could also be reduced by private investors and sponsors.

Russian Premier League clubs have been sanctioned over the behaviour of their fans

“I support the World Cup in Russia but not at the cost of withdrawing money from schools, hospitals or the pockets of pensioners.”

Russian journalist Igor Rabiner says Russian organisers need to learn from Brazil’s example.

“The more comfortable the stadium is for supporters, the more people will go to matches,” he says.

“But a city like Saransk [one of the host cities for the 2018 finals, with a population of 300,000] does not really need a 40,000-seat arena.

Continue reading the main story

We are not going to be in a situation, as is the case of one, two or even three stadiums in [2010 host country] South Africa, where it is a problem of what you do with these stadiums”

End Quote Fifa president Sepp Blatter “So we need to follow the example of Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, where some stands will be partially disassembled after the World Cup.”

The World Cup will be the second major sporting event Russia will host in four years, after the Winter Olympics in Sochi this year.

Despite the huge costs involved, Mr Levshits, who is a regular participant in opposition demonstrations, says he does not expect to see protests on the level seen in Brazil.

“Such protests here would harm those who take part in them, as state-controlled TV would try to portray the protesters as trying to disrupt a sporting celebration,” he says.

“We can only voice our concerns or opposition through a calm and reasonable information-sharing effort.”

In the handover ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on 13 July, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hoped the World Cup would help Russia to fight racism – one of the biggest problems facing the country as it prepares to host the 2018 finals.

“[Fifa] President [Sepp] Blatter puts a lot of personal effort into addressing social issues, and we hope that the preparations for the World Cup in Russia will also contribute to tasks, such as fighting drugs, racism and other challenges we face today,” Mr Putin said.

Manchester City’s Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure is among several players to have been racially abused by fans in Russia

Former Brazil defender Roberto Carlos and Congolese international Christopher Samba – who both played for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala – as well as Manchester City’s Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure, are among those to have been racially abused in Russia in recent years.

However, dealing with racism is not the only problem for football authorities in Russia. Hooliganism and violence remain major problems in the country, with fans continuing to clash with police and disrupt matches.

Zenit St Petersburg – one of the biggest names in the Russian Premier League – were sanctioned in May, after their fans invaded the pitch during a home game against Dynamo Moscow – an incident which also saw Dynamo captain and Russian international Vladimir Granat punched in the head by a Zenit fan.

The club were ordered to play their next two home games behind closed doors and fined $28,000.

Journalist Igor Rabiner, from Russian football website Championat, says that authorities need to launch a proper anti-racism and hooliganism campaign over the next four years to avoid any of these kinds of scenes being repeated at the World Cup.

“Hooligans in Russia always go unpunished,” he says. “I don’t understand how someone could not be prosecuted for hitting a player on the pitch.

“More importantly, it encourages others to copy such behaviour.”

Since Russia was chosen to host the World Cup in December 2010, none of the 12 arenas named has seen any football action of note.

Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium – which will host the final – has been closed for refurbishment since last year

Among those which are going to be opened soon are arenas in Kazan, Sochi and Moscow.

One of two arenas in Moscow – including a new home for Russia’s most popular club Spartak Moscow – is due to open on 5 September.

The second stadium in the capital, the Luzhniki – which will host the final – is under huge reconstruction and has been closed since it hosted the 2013 World Athletics Championships.

Major improvements to airports, railway stations, along with new hotels, are promised across the 11 host cities.

It is expected that, as with the Winter Olympics, costs will be covered by a mixture of state funds and private investors.

Moscow, St Petersburg, Sochi and Kazan will also host the Confederations Cup in 2017 and infrastructure in these cities is already better than in the seven others.

The Russian government only chose contractors in March of this year for the construction of stadiums in the other seven venues of Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Saransk and Rostov.

Sepp Blatter said last week in Brazil that Fifa may yet decide to reduce the number of stadiums at Russia 2018 from 12 to 10. That may happen mainly because of concerns over construction deadlines and the future use of the stadiums.

“We are not going to be in a situation, as is the case of one, two or even three stadiums in [2010 host country] South Africa, where it is a problem of what you do with these stadiums,” Mr Blatter said.

Those comments caused come confusion in Russia, with the government saying immediately afterwards that it was too early to speak about any changes to venues. A Fifa delegation will visit Russia in September to discuss the plans with local organisers.

As for security and the safety of fans, Mr Rabiner says Brazil has shown that you can organise a safe tournament, even in a country with a high crime rate. The challenge, he says, is changing attitudes.

“Russia is a rather closed country and not very multicultural, so we need to learn a lot. Russians should be friendly and hospitable towards people of all races and ethnicities.”

Additional reporting by Stephen Fottrell.

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VIDEO: Qatar World Cup ‘will be in winter’

FA Chairman Greg Dyke has said he believes there is “no chance” Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup during the summer and that the tournament will more likely be staged in November or December.

Appearing before MPs, he also suggested that a report on safety, in relation to heat in the country, “was ignored” during the bidding process.

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Report into World Cup bidding delayed

Fifa’s investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process has been delayed until September.

Lawyer Michael Garcia, who is leading the investigation, had been due to submit his findings in July.

But Fifa’s ethics committee say they now expect the report to be delivered to ethics judge Joachim Eckert by the “first week of September 2014”.

The Qatar 2022 bid committee is facing allegations of corruption, but has denied any wrongdoing.

The Sunday Times alleged  in June that Qatar’s former Fifa vice-president, Mohamed bin Hammam, paid £3m to football officials around the world in return for support of the Qatari bid.

Qatar overcame competition from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States to be named as 2022 hosts.

Garcia is leading a long-running investigation into the bidding process for both the 2018 World Cup and the 2022 tournament.

The results of the bids were announced in December 2010, with Russia winning the vote to stage the 2018 event.

Former attorney general Lord Goldsmith,  a member of Fifa’s independent committee on governance, Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce and Football Association chairman Greg Dyke have all said said there should be a re-run of the 2022 vote if allegations of wrongdoing prove correct.

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VIDEO: Best goals of the 2014 World Cup

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BBC pundits picks: Best of Brazil 2014 World Cup

By Chris Bevan BBC Sport in Rio de Janeiro After 32 days, 64 games and 171 goals, there was only one winner. Germany are the new world champions after grabbing the glory at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The tournament will be remembered for its exciting games and spectacular goals but also some of the biggest shocks of recent times, with the hosts Brazil and defending champions Spain both suffering humiliating defeats.

England, meanwhile, only lasted eight days and two games before being eliminated.

BBC Sport’s TV and radio football presenters and pundits look back on the action and choose their best goal, best player and most memorable moment of the tournament, before considering how far away England are from being contenders.

Listen to Colombian commentary on James Rodriguez’s stunning volley

Gary Lineker: The volley James Rodriguez scored for Colombia against Uruguay is the one that stands out for me. The little look behind him, the chest, the turn, the volley.

You could have 50 goes at that and not get close to doing what he did. In fact, I would never score that goal in a million years.

Alan Shearer: That Rodriguez strike is the goal of the tournament for me, the technique and touch was perfect and the execution was amazing. It was the perfect goal – Rodriguez’s balance and the way he got his shot away.

World Cup 2014: Robin van Persie scores with superb header

Rio Ferdinand: Easily the best goal is that Rodriguez effort. But the instinct of Robin van Persie’s header, coming at such a distance and spotting the keeper off his line, it is such a hard skill, that comes second.

Mark Lawrenson: I’m going to stick with Van Persie’s header because he had to get that absolutely 100% right, otherwise he would have just headed it into the goalkeeper’s arms.

World Cup 2014: Tim Cahill nets stunning volley for Australia

It’s a completely unique goal, he’s not just smashed it and it has flown in. What also made it special was that I was there to see it, and spent a split second thinking ‘oh my goodness, how did he do that?’.

Chris Waddle: James Rodriguez’ volley was the best goal but Tim Cahill’s volley for Australia against the Duch was a very close second.

It’s a hard skill to do, to meet the ball perfectly when it drops over your shoulder and you are running on to it, but Cahill swung a leg at it and met it perfectly. It could have cleared the stadium but it went in off the bar.

World Cup 2014: Germany 4-0 Portugal highlights

Danny Mills: Germany’s Thomas Muller is quite unique. I’ve watched him a lot, and this is going to sound silly, but I’m not really sure what he is great at. He is not blisteringly quick, and he does not run at you, dribble or shoot from distance.

I look at him and think how would I have stopped him, and I’m not really sure because he drifts and wanders so much.

What he is, is clever. He is a goalscorer, who is fantastic at being in the right place at the right time. That is what makes him almost unplayable at times.

Mark Lawrenson: The best player in Brazil has been Muller and not just because of the goals he has scored.

He is very much the archetypal modern-day footballer – a great athlete who can play anywhere and get you goals but also understands every position he plays. He is an outstanding footballer.

World Cup 2014: James Rodriguez’s six World Cup goals in Brazil

Tim Vickery: It has to be James Rodriguez. I know Colombia went out in the quarter-finals but there was something from him in every game.

He produced perhaps the outstanding 45 minutes of football from an individual at the tournament when he came on at half-time in their group game against Japan.

The score was 1-1 and Japan were trying to win to go through but Rodriguez made two goals with sensational passes of a different type and scored a wonderful solo goal to seal a 4-1 win.

And the winner: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos, Phillip Lahm, Thomas Muller (Germany)

James Rodriguez (Colombia) Neymar (Brazil), Arjen Robben (Netherlands)

World Cup 2014: Colombia 4-1 Japan highlights

Alan Shearer: The star of the show has been James Rodriguez.

Rio Ferdinand: I have to agree, Rodriguez is a young guy and not many might have known about him before the tournament but, wow, they do now. He went back to Colombia a hero.

Gary Lineker: I am Lionel Messi’s biggest fan and he is the most wonderfully gifted player since Diego Maradona but, here in Brazil, I have been disappointed with what I have seen.

There is no question in my mind that the Argentina forward has become quite static on the pitch in this tournament.

Alan Hansen: In 22 years as a pundit, and 40 years in the game, I have never seen anything like Germany’s 7-1 win over Brazil.

Highlights: Brazil 1-7 Germany

Gary Lineker: It was truly astonishing. Germany’s elation was matched by Brazil’s desolation. It was not necessarily the greatest football match but certainly the most remarkable football match I’ve ever seen.

Alan Shearer: I don’t think I have ever seen anything like it in football. Yes, Brazil were poor but, for every bit Brazil were poor, then Germany were very impressive. The telling thing for me was how devastated Manuel Neuer was when the goal went it in the last minute.

Chris Waddle: I don’t think we will see anything like it again. For Germany to beat the hosts, who had a nation behind them, like that was amazing.

Germany just got everything right and they were so composed the way they played their football. They are on to something good with their current team, and they have some very exciting years ahead of them.

Tim Vickery: What you heard on 9 July was the sound of 200 million people’s jaws collectively hitting the floor. It was absolutely unbelievable to see Brazil capitulate in that fashion in a game where, if the Germans had wanted to, they could honestly have scored 15.

Gary Lineker, Mark Lawrenson, Danny Murphy, Phil Neville, Jason Roberts and Danny Mills, Robbie Savage,

Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand, Chris Waddle, Pat Nevin, Brad Friedel, Martin Keown

Rio Ferdinand: If there were cameras on us in the BBC studio, you would have seen myself and Alan Shearer jumping around at the beautiful goals in the Netherlands’ 5-1 win over Spain.

Highlights: Spain 1-5 Netherlands

Arjen Robben running half the length of the pitch past a world class defender in Sergio Ramos and putting the ball in the back of the net the way he did, that’s what you want to see in a World Cup.

We were in the studio together again for the Brazil-Germany game and saying ‘what is happening here?’

The Dutch thrashing Spain was not expected but there was a feeling that it was the end of an era for Spain. The Brazil-Germany result was just ridiculous.

Gotze scores winner for Germany in final

Alan Hansen: This World Cup has been sublime, the matches have been great, tonight was terrific to watch and the goal that won the World Cup was extra special.

Germany are phenomenal at getting the job done – their team ethos, their great players. It was a great goal to win the final – a great run and cross from Schurrle and a great volley from Gotze. That was the hardest chance of the lot. He knew he was going to score.

Rio Ferdinand: This isn’t a project started last year by the German FA. It’s something that has been in the making for the last 10-12 years. These players have played together at international youth level, under-21 level. Now they’re world champions. England fans will be watching this and asking ‘can we do this?’

Gotze has been promising to do something like this in a German shirt for a while. They love him in Germany, he is a wonder kid. Argentina are going to have nightmares because they had great chances but couldn’t score.

Kids watching this game wanted to see Messi do something special. He had a big chance but his time didn’t come. But Messi has done things at club level that others have come nowhere near. It’s unfortunate he was unable to produce here.

Chris Waddle: I’m sure Argentina will get a good welcome back home but when they do go back, they will be thinking they could have won this game. They had all the chances. After so many misses you start thinking if Germany get a chance, they will get the goal, and that’s what they did.

Overall Germany deserve it. Argentina, we had glimpses of what they could do but they stuttered their way through the tournament.

Alan Shearer: The Germany manager deserves a lot of credit. He was so near and yet so far in previous tournaments. He changed his tactics and system and believed in what he thought would work.

For Lionel Messi to have the iconic status of Pele and Diego Maradona he has to lift the World Cup. He had his chance this time and didn’t take it.

Clarence Seedorf: Germany are absolutely worthy of winning the World Cup. They were the best team throughout and they grew a lot. They were always very solid, got through the results and improved as the tournament went on.

Today was quite equal, maybe the best chances went to Argentina, but it is still deserved by Germany.

Danny Mills: As a team Germany have been exceptional. Efficient, strong and their game-management is absolutely superb.

Chris Waddle: England are a long way behind the teams who went the distance in the tournament. I would say there are at least 10 or 12 nations ahead of us, especially on the basis of consistency.

World cup exit is horrible – Lampard

Alan Shearer: I think the longer the tournament has gone on, the more you realise how poor England were.

As the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Belgium and the United States, to a certain extent, got so far, it tells us we have a long way to go.

We have to be able to organise and get further in the World Cup than we have done.

This tournament has proved you don’t have to have great players all over the park to progress.

Gary Lineker: It was massively disappointing to go out after two games and so early in the tournament, but I saw enough in those games to suggest the future is not as bleak as I thought it was four years ago.

I think we were at rock bottom then but now we are starting to climb back up. We still have a long way to go and we are a long way behind other countries but we are making strides in the right direction.

With this bunch of young players, in two or four years’ time, there is reason for hope.

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Joy & tears – The 2014 World Cup in pictures

13 July 2014 Last updated at 00:55

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VIDEO: Germany lift the World Cup trophy

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Tony Pulis – a Premier League manager at the World Cup

Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis covered the World Cup as a pundit for BBC Radio 5 live.

From watching how teams trained to seeing how they set up tactically, I learned a lot from my time in Brazil and it was a trip I will never forget.

Plenty of players caught my eye too, although I did not go to the World Cup expecting to discover any amazing new talents. There just aren’t any unknown gems at major tournaments anymore.

There were still some players I liked there that I didn’t know a lot about, however. For example, the Dutch side did well with a lot of young players who are still based in the Netherlands, which is not always the case with their international team.

And there were players from some of the South American sides who are based in Spain who impressed me too.

But what has changed things from the days when new talents might announce themselves at a World Cup is the way the Premier League has gone over the past 20 years.

It is a global league now – not just an English league – and teams have been scouting all over the world for a long time already.

Even if I don’t know much about a player, someone at the club will be aware of him.

It is the same for club competitions around the world, as well as international ones. We scout the Copa Libertadores (the South American Champions League) for example, but only the bottom 12 teams.

We know our position at Palace – we do not go anywhere near the top clubs or nations!

Pulis’s Crystal Palace team finished 11th in the Premier League last season

There were not many surprises left for us at the World Cup, but of course we still wanted to take a look at teams and players in Brazil.

We nailed it down from back home beforehand in terms of who we were watching – individual players we had already been recommended, or those we were looking at closely for the first time.

It was not my job to do any of that in Brazil – Palace had scouts to do it for me – but it was nice to be out there, and I still did my homework.

Before I flew out there, I got a book from the BBC with detailed analysis and information on every player in the tournament. Everything at this level that can help us is worth using.

I went to watch Germany, the Netherlands and Spain play – and also watched the Spanish train, which as a manager was really interesting.

I saw some fantastic players. If money was no object I would not try and sign one player – I would probably share it around and bring about 10 or 11 of them back.

There were not too many I knew personally, though. I got in touch with Bosnia-Hercegovina goalkeeper Asmir Begovic – who was my goalkeeper at my former club Stoke – before the tournament to wish him well, but I only had one current player out there, Australia defender Mile Jedinak.

Captain Mile Jedinak scored for Australia against the Netherlands, but his side lost all of their games in Brazil

Mile made history when he scored a penalty against the Netherlands in their group match, becoming the first Crystal Place player to score at a World Cup finals, and I am absolutely delighted for him.

I had texted him before the game to wish him luck. He was disappointed when they lost and failed to get out of Group B but I don’t feel sorry for him because it meant he could have a nice rest before the new Premier League season starts.

So, being selfish, from Crystal Palace’s point of view, Australia failing to get out of their group was the best thing that could have happened for us.

One of the most interesting things about the World Cup was how open it was, especially in the early stages.

Teams like the Netherlands tightened up as they went through the knockout rounds but, initially, they were spreading wide and making the pitch really big when they got the ball.

That meant when possession changed over, if you had pace in your team you could counter-attack and end up creating chances.

Defensively, though, it looked like there was a weakness in every team, even some of those who progressed far into the tournament.

It is all down to different coaches using different systems, and from my point of view as a manager that was fascinating to watch.

But one thing I noticed while I was out in Brazil was how poor some of the marking was in the group stage, and that should not happen whatever system you use.

I don’t know how many goals in total were scored from set-plays but, to me, there seemed to be a heck of a lot where people had not been marked properly.

I was in Salvador to watch the Dutch destroy Spain and then in Rio a few days later when the defending world champions lost to Chile and were knocked out of the tournament.

It was disappointing to see them go out like that, and along with Jedinak’s Australia side become the first teams to be eliminated after just two group games.

As well as scouting players, the World Cup also offered the chance to see some of Brazil’s sights

That Spain team had been a fantastic side for so long and I felt they deserved to bow out with some respect. In the end it was a bit of a damp squib.

On a personal level, however, that was my first visit to the Maracana. It is a superb stadium and synonymous with everything spectacular Brazil has done for football for years and years.

The first World Cup I can remember was in 1966, when I was eight, but the next one was Mexico in 1970, which was superb. That was the first time I saw how brilliant the Brazil team was.

Standing in the Maracana before that Spain-Chile game kicked off, I could relate the stadium to the whole history of one of the greatest nations to have played the game. To be there was an absolute pleasure.

In fact, there was a real buzz everywhere I went because everybody in Brazil embraced the tournament so much.

It was the first World Cup I have been at in a working capacity, and that gave me a fresh perspective on a lot of things.

Something I had not done previously was to be around fans from all over the world before, during and after matches and to talk to them and get a taste of the electric atmosphere around grounds when there is a game on, not just in them.

I am in Austria now, preparing for the new Premier League season with Palace, but I will look back at my time at the World Cup as a new experience for me, and I had a wonderful time.

Tony Pulis was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.

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