Russia denies knowledge of alleged fix-ups in 2018 World Cup bid

The Organising Committee of the Russian 2018 World Cup on Friday denied accusations that Russia had won the right to host the global football event as a result of fix-ups, Xinhua reported.

"The Russian 2018 Organising Committee wants to stress once again that the Russian Bid Committee has campaigned for the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup in full compliance with the FIFA Code of Ethics and regulations that determine the rules of application," it said in a statement.

The outgoing FIFA President Sepp Blatter said earlier that Russia had gained the right to host the championship as a result of a secret agreement between FIFA senior officials. The Russian side denied knowledge of any prior agreements.

"Russia's bid was open, transparent and fully consistent with best international practices of management, and it had full support of the Russian government," the committee said. "The concept of the World Cup, presented in Russia's bid, was extremely competitive, and we are convinced that this is what has allowed our country to win the right to host this grand event."

Earlier in the day, Russia's Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko also denied Blatter's statement, saying that "There has been no fix-ups. We have won the right to the World Cup deservedly."