Germany’s head coach Low says Russia deserves hosting 2018 World Cup

Sports September 17, 2014, 14:29

Joachim Low is attending the 2014 FIFA World Cup technical conference in Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg September 16-17

ST. PETERSBURG, September 17. /ITAR-TASS/. Joachim Low, the head coach of the victorious German national football team, said on Wednesday he was confident that Russia has all possibilities and desire for hosting the 2018 World Cup with dignity.

Low, who led his team at the recently concluded 2014 World Cup in Brazil to the fourth world champions’ title, is attending on September 16-17 in Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg the 2014 FIFA World Cup technical conference with the participation of coaches and technical staff of the European national football squads.

The German coach said he had no intentions of commenting on some political statements regarding calls to strip Russia of the right to host the 2018 World Cup saying only that Russia has an enormous desire and all opportunities for hosting the 21st edition of FIFA's flagship event at the highest level possible.

Some of the Western politicians earlier voiced calls to strip Russia of the right to host the World Cup as a form of penalty regarding Moscow’s stance on the developments in neighboring Ukraine.

In particular, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said in a July interview with the Sunday Times that it was “unthinkable” for the global football contest to take place in Russia and stripping the country of the event would be a "very potent political and symbolic sanction."

World football’s governing body, however, spoke against the possibility of relocating the 2018 World Cup insisting that the tournament in Russia could be “a force for good.”

''History has shown so far that boycotting sport events or a policy of isolation or confrontation are not the most effective ways to solve problems,'' FIFA said in its statement in July.

Speaking further about Russia’s preparations for the World Cup, Low said he also believed that Italian manager of the Russian national side Fabio Capello would prepare and line up for the next world championship a very strong Russian national team.

The German coach added he also believed it was a very positive moment that Capello maintained the post of the Russian national squad’s head coach despite the team’s performance in Brazil.

The Russian national squad experienced a string of setbacks over the past decade failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany and 2010 championship in South Africa to the great dismay of the Russian football fans.

Things changed, when Italian phenomenon Capello took over the team as the head coach and managed to help the Russian national squad to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The team, however, failed to clear the first stage of the much-anticipated global tournament putting their coach in the center of stern criticism and raising serious concerns in the country about the team’s performance in the next World Cup.

The country won the bid to host the 2018 World Cup over three years ago in a tight race against the joint bid from England, Portugal and Spain and the joint bid on behalf of Belgium and the Netherlands.

Matches of the 2018 World Cup are planned to be held at 12 stadiums in 11 cities across Russia, namely in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.

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