'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane (MH17) was brought down near eastern Ukraine in a battle between Russian separatists and Ukraine forces which killed all 298 people on board, many German politicians have called for the 2018 World Cup to be moved to guarantee safety. Russia are to host the next World Cup in four years’ time.
Michael Fuchs, deputy head of the conservative bloc in the German parliament, said: “FIFA should think about whether Moscow is an appropriate host if it can’t even guarantee safe airways,”
Fuchs also said that Germany, France and Italy are ready to host the tournament if required.
“Germany could together with France and Italy host the tournament without problems. We have enough stadiums."
Germany’s interior minister of state Hesse also supported Fuchs’ argument.
He said: “If [Russian President Vladimir] Putin doesn’t actively cooperate on clearing up the plane crash, the soccer World Cup in Russia in 2018 is unimaginable.”
German government and Dutch FA respond
However, the German government has quickly rejected these statements and are not in support of stripping Russia of its right to host the tournament just yet.
Although Merkel called for "substantial EU economic sanctions to be imposed against Russia as quickly as possible", this could hurt them as Russia is Germany's biggest trade partner in Europe, and many German trade associations have revealed that new EU sanctions could hurt Germany in the long run.
Even the Dutch FA commented that it was “too early” to make a decision on Russia hosting the World Cup and that the MH17 investigation was the top priority now.
"The association believes it is more appropriate to conduct a discussion over a future World Cup in Russia once the investigation into the disaster has been completed."
