MOSCOW, October 15 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's bid to stage the World Cup has won the "whole-hearted" support of FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
Speaking at a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Blatter said Russia had a "very good chance" of winning the right to stage the world's most popular sporting event.
"I believe that the World Cup should leave a legacy, and this idea is coming to life here in Russia. That is why I feel a whole-hearted affinity for the Russian bid," Blatter said.
Russia's bid, which was officially launched last Friday, has the full support of the government, with a high-level steering committee established under First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov.
"The very fact of carrying out such major event would, without any doubt, give a boost to the development of football in the post-Soviet space and in Eastern Europe," Putin said.
While Russia is officially bidding for either the 2018 or 2022 tournament, FIFA's continent rotation policy means that Europe is likely to host the event four years after Brazil in 2014.
Russia has seven competitors to host the 2018 World Cup, including England, Australia and joint bids from Belgium and the Netherlands and Spain and Portugal. A decision on the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments will be made in December 2010.
