Moscow, Nov 25 (IANS) World governing body FIFA should start promoting World Cup 2018 more actively by involving star footballers and advertising it during qualifying matches ahead of the tournament, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet with FIFA President Gianni Infantino here on Friday, reports Sputnik.
But Mutko said before the meeting that they expect FIFA to start its preparations to reach a global audience.
"We will be waiting for a list of questions from Infantino. We also have our own questions to ask. In particular, we would like FIFA to promote Football World Cup more actively by bringing in football starts and using qualifying matches," Mutko told journalists.
Infantino is coming to Russia this week for the official draw ahead of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, which will take place on Saturday in the southern Russian city of Kazan.
The quadrennial football tournament will take place between June 17 and July 2, 2017 as a prelude to the 2018 World Cup. Russia will play host to both events.
--IANS
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