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Russian President Vladimir Putin has slammed the United States over the ongoing FFIA corruption crisis saying that the investigation was America’s attempt to meddle into the affairs of other countries and tackle Russia indirectly over the 2018 world cup controversy.
According James Masters reporting for CNN, Putin believes the American intervention is designed so the nation can achieve its “selfish aims and illegally persecute people,”
Putin’s words comes after the US Department of Justice confirmed nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives had been charged with federal crimes, including “racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies” after Wednesday’s raid on the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich.
Part of the investigations link to the allocation of the 2018 and the 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively, underlining why Putin may feel aggrieved.
Putin also said the United States’ decision to step in is a deliberate attempt to exert its influence on the game by stopping current FIFA President Sepp Blatter from being re-elected on Friday.
The world football governing body revealed in an official statement that six FIFA officials were arrested, with two separate investigations—one U.S. based, the other Swiss—taking place.