(USA Today) MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the United States on Thursday, accusing it of meddling in global soccer amid a unprecedented corruption scandal.
In televised comments, Putin called the U.S. involvement in the FIFA investigation "strange" and said the country was overstepping its jurisdiction in wake of the arrests of seven people Wednesday amid growing concern that the scandal could affect Russia's hosting of the 2018 World Cup.
Corruption charges were announced in the U.S. against 14 FIFA officials and sports executives Wednesday. The allegations include racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering and bribery, and relate to at least two generations of soccer officials who are accused of acquiring millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said.
Speaking to journalists Thursday, Putin called the probe "a clear attempt to keep Mr. [Sepp] Blatter from being re-elected as president of FIFA," according to an official statement published on the Kremlin's website. Blatter is expected to win a fifth term in the election Friday.
"This is a blatant violation of the principle of how international organizations function," Putin said. "We are aware of the pressure that he was subjected to in relation to Russia holding the 2018 World Cup."
Putin also compared the United States' involvement in the case to the persecution of whistleblowers Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, and accused the U.S. of overstepping its "jurisdiction," saying it was "strange" that Washington had requested the arrests when the crimes did not involve U.S. citizens and did not happen in the country.
His comments were the latest example of growing tensions between the two countries, following Russia's annexation of Crimea and its backing of rebels in Ukraine.
Putin's successes in securing Russia's bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup were seen as some of the top achievements of his administration among Russians back home.
Russia's Foreign Ministry called the arrests of FIFA officials "illegal" and called on Washington to "stop trying to hold court far beyond your own borders using your own legal norms and [instead] adhere to accepted international legal procedure," according to an official statement from Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich posted on the ministry's website.
Swiss prosecutors said Thursday that they planned to question 10 FIFA executive committee members who were members in 2010, when voting took place that awarded Russia the World Cup in 2018 and Qatar the tournament in 2022.
Russia's Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who is one of the members, said he did not receive any invitation for questioning, Russia's sports news agency R-Sport reported Thursday.
Mutko did however fly to Switzerland on Wednesday, but said it was not related to the case.
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"The FIFA executive committee is here, the Congress is supposed to take place here, and the president of FIFA is going to be elected tomorrow. As a member of the executive committee I am involved in these events," Mutko was quoted by Russia's RSN agency as saying.
Asked about the possibility of Russia losing its host status for the 2018 World Cup, he said there were no reasons for this to happen so far.
The 2018 World Cup is too close for Russia losing its bid to be likely, local sports commentators say, but it is still a possibility, particularly if Blatter is not re-elected.
"Right now FIFA is saying that the World Cup will stay in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. But that could begin to look increasingly shaky if and when more revelations emerge," said Marc Bennets, a Moscow-based journalist and the author of Football Dynamo, a book about Russia's football culture.
He added: "Putin certainly believes in a U.S.-led plot to harm Russia, and so it's not surprising that he has spoken out. He personally backed Russia's bid for the 2018 World Cup, and it would be seen as a big blow if Russia was to now lose it."
For Russia to lose its bid, "a court would have to order a new bidding process. But that would only be possible if there was overwhelming evidence of corruption involved with Russia's bid," Bennets said. "Sepp Blater would be loath to do this though, but his position could be under real threat soon."
