Vladimir Putin to welcome 'old friend' Sepp Blatter at 2018 Russia World Cup
RAW
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA head Michel Platini will both be welcome to attend the 2018 World Cup in Russia as "old friends" of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The announcement came on Friday from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Blatter, who had been president of the soccer's world governing body since 1998, was suspended in 2015 by FIFA's ethics committee.
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Platini resigned in 2016 as head of European body UEFA after losing an appeal against a ban for ethics violations.
