Russia urges British Royal family and politicians to attend World Cup after England qualify for last 16
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As the president of the Football Association, the Duke of Cambridge has
been a regular at England's World Cup games previously, along with his
brother Harry. England face Colombia in Moscow on Tuesday for a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
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“We have showed we welcome any fans from any country,” said Sorokin. “The atmosphere is truly hospitable and cordial, they will be welcomed as any fans or any football lovers. Anybody can come, anyone is welcome to support their teams.
“We repeatedly told the world how puzzled we are at the decision of certain politicians - not naming anyone - not to visit the World Cup."
With the group phase now complete, Sorokin described the World Cup so far as a “wonderful” success and said that Russia had never previously had so many guests in their country.
Of the impressive performances by the Russia team, who will face Spain in the last 16, Sorokin stressed that they had not been a big surprise to him and said that the players had been “tested repeatedly” for doping.
“They prepared for months and they are very motivated,” he said. “We believe in them. The results are every clear, we wish them every success.”
Colin Smith, Fifa’s director of competitions, said that there had been more than 2,700 doping tests and no anti-doping violations.
“Every single player participating has been testing at least once,” he said. “There is a minimum of four players at every match [tested]. All samples are sent to a Wada-accredited lab in Switzerland. We believe we have a comprehensive programme in place.”
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| England have qualified for the last 16 |
British government officials and the Royal family have been told that they remain welcome to attend the World Cup in Russia following England’s qualification for the knockout phase.
Prime Minister Theresa May announced a boycott of the tournament in
March following the diplomatic row that broke out over allegations that
the Russian state was behind the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal
and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury.
The Russian government has
denied involvement in the Salisbury incident and Alexey Sorokin, chief
executive of the World Cup’s local organising committee, today said that
any official British visitors would still be made welcome.
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“We have showed we welcome any fans from any country,” said Sorokin. “The atmosphere is truly hospitable and cordial, they will be welcomed as any fans or any football lovers. Anybody can come, anyone is welcome to support their teams.
“We repeatedly told the world how puzzled we are at the decision of certain politicians - not naming anyone - not to visit the World Cup."
With the group phase now complete, Sorokin described the World Cup so far as a “wonderful” success and said that Russia had never previously had so many guests in their country.
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| William caught up with England's game against Panama with Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein |
There has
been a collective attendance of 2.2 million out of the 2.6 million
tickets allocated and five million fans have visited the various fan
zones across the country.
Disorder has been minimal, with Sorokin
describing a small outbreak of violence between Argentina and Croatia
supporters in Nizhny Novgorod as a “a minor incident” that resulted in
several people being detained.
“We are satisfied with the way it has been going - I believed everything has been organised in a wonderful way,” he said.
Of the impressive performances by the Russia team, who will face Spain in the last 16, Sorokin stressed that they had not been a big surprise to him and said that the players had been “tested repeatedly” for doping.
“They prepared for months and they are very motivated,” he said. “We believe in them. The results are every clear, we wish them every success.”
Colin Smith, Fifa’s director of competitions, said that there had been more than 2,700 doping tests and no anti-doping violations.
“Every single player participating has been testing at least once,” he said. “There is a minimum of four players at every match [tested]. All samples are sent to a Wada-accredited lab in Switzerland. We believe we have a comprehensive programme in place.”