Russia cuts 2018 World Cup budget due to recession

Russian has made another cutback to the budget for the 2018 FIFA World Cup due to the harsh recession plaguing the national economy.

A total of 151.4 million rubles (around $2.5 million) have been removed from the budget of the organising committee, after a previous budget reduction last June, when the Russian authorities took out 30 billion rubles (over $560 million), reports Efe.

Russian Sport, Tourism and Youth Minister Vitaly Mutko, who announced earlier this year a 10 percent budget cut, said that the reduction will mainly affect hotels.

Currently, the budget amounts to around 630 billion rubles ($10 billion), but devaluation of the national currency could force other changes to initial plans.

Half of this amount will be allocated to building transportation infrastructure, such as airports and roads, while one-third will be devoted to the construction of stadiums and other sporting facilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that despite the recession, Russia will not give up, and the organisation of the World Cup and will not spare any expense in making fans from around the world "feel at home".