Russian president Vladimir Putin: People like Sepp Blatter 'deserve the Nobel Prize'

Russian president Vladimir Putin and outgoing FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter are close friends. That's the only explanation for recent comments by the former, who - after spending time with the embattled football chief during the recent World Cup qualifying draw in St. Petersburg - says Blatter deserves a Nobel Prize for his management of football's governing body.

Seriously.

"We all know the situation developing around Mr. Blatter right now. I don't want to go into details but I don't believe a word about him being involved in corruption personally," said Putin, referring to the sweeping corruption scandal engulfing FIFA.

"I think people like Mr. Blatter or the heads of big international sporting federations, or the Olympic Games, deserve special recognition. If there is anyone who deserves the Nobel Prize, it's those people."

Blatter, who intends to step down from his post as FIFA president in February amid the aforementioned scandal, has always received stern support from Putin - something that surely has nothing to do with the fact that Russia will host the 2018 World Cup ...

That smile is obviously deserving of a Nobel Prize.