Russian President Vladimir Putin believes the United States might be trying to steal the 2018 World Cup from his country.
While Putin addressed Russian television Thursday, he touched on the unprecedented indictments carried out by the United States Department of Justice that saw several high-profile FIFA officials arrested on charges of corruption in Zurich ahead of Friday's FIFA Congress.
He questioned the motives behind the investigation, hinting that the U.S. is eager to replace Russia as host for the 2018 tournament and saying the country is meddling in global football.
"This is another blatant attempt to extend (U.S.) jurisdiction to other states," Putin said on Russian state television, as translated by the Wall Street Journal. "I have no doubt that this is also a blatant attempt to prevent Mr. Blatter from being re-elected to the post of FIFA president, which is a flagrant violation of the operating principles of international organizations."
Russia was awarded the 2018 version of the tournament on the same day Qatar controversially won its bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
"Unfortunately, our American partners use these methods to achieve their selfish goals, and they do it unlawfully, they persecute people," Putin added, after relating the investigation to the United States's pursuit of whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. "I wouldn't rule out that the FIFA case is another example. I don't know how it will end, but the fact that this is occurring on the eve of the FIFA presidential elections leads me to this implication."
The Justice Department wasn't focused on investigating FIFA's alleged corruption until an unrelated probe into world of organized crime in Russia revealed layers of malfeasance in the governing body of world football, the New York Times reports.
It's likely too late to strip Russia of the 2018 World Cup since it's only three years away, but that may change if Sepp Blatter fails to win a fifth term as FIFA president Friday.