MOSCOW: World football boss Sepp Blatter on Tuesday opposed any boycott of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and backed the huge preparations undertaken by President Vladimir Putin’s government for the mega event.

“A boycott will never give any positive effect,” Blatter told the R-Sport news agency in comments translated into Russian.

“We trust the country, its government. FIFA unconditionally supports the staging of the World Cup by Russia.”

Diplomatic sources said last month that European nations were discussing a possible boycott of the World Cup because of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Some politicians in Britain, Germany and the United States have called on FIFA to withdraw the World Cup from Russia.

“When we receive letters from North America [asking for the World Cup to withdrawn], we tell them that this is football,” Blatter said.

“Russia is the world’s biggest country. You know, Russia is in the eye of the international media. Football can not only unite Russia but show the whole world that it is stronger than any protest movement.”

He compared the situation with Russia’s hosting of the Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi this year, when Western leaders stayed away.

“There was the same situation ahead of Sochi, but neither during nor after the Games, has there been a single word against these Games.”

Russia and Ukraine will be put into different groups at the 2018 World Cup finals if the Ukrainians qualify and relations between the two countries do not improve, Blatter added.

“You can be sure about this,” he said when asked whether the two teams would be kept apart given the current poor political climate with Kiev accusing Moscow of backing Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine.

Blatter said he was happy with Russia’s work on the 2018 World Cup. Twelve stadiums in 11 cities are to be used.

“In comparison with Brazil’s preparations for the 2014 World Cup, Russia is well ahead of them with four years to go.”

He said the third-place playoff will be kept despite calls from teams to abolish it.

“We will not be getting rid of it. It’s very important. If there was no third-place playoff then the head of (European body) UEFA, Michel Platini, would never have taken home a bronze medal. These games are always well fought,” the Swiss said.

Published in Dawn, October 29th , 2014