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Russian
President Vladimir Putin, right, is watched by FIFA president Gianni Infantino
as he speaks before the 2018 soccer World Cup draw in the Kremlin in Moscow,
Friday Dec. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
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The
Latest on the World Cup draw (all times local):
___
6:10
p.m.
Vladimir
Putin has formally opened the World Cup draw ceremony at the State Kremlin
Palace.
The
Russian president made a five-minute speech after arriving on stage with FIFA
President Gianni Infantino.
Putin
urged people to visit and enjoy a country "so big and multi-faceted."
"We
will do everything to make it a major sporting festival," he said, looking
forward to a World Cup of "friendship and fair play, values that do not
change with time."
___
6
p.m.
Diego
Maradona has arrived at the World Cup draw wearing a black tuxedo and a gold
bow tie.
The
1986 World Cup-winning captain for Argentina will take part in the draw
ceremony at the State Kremlin Palace.
Guests
on the red carpet arrival at the venue have been sprinkled with wet snow on a
chilly evening in Moscow.
___
4:50
p.m.
Germany
coach Joachim Loew has arrived for the World Cup draw.
Loew
was among the first to get to the Kremlin for the draw, where defending
champion Germany will learn who it plays in the group stage.
Japan
coach Vahid Halilhodzic and Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic have also
arrived at the venue.
Playing
greats including Pele and Diego Maradona are expected to assist with the draw,
which will be presented by former England forward Gary Lineker - a frequent
critic of FIFA - and Russian sports journalist Maria Komandnaya.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin is also expected to attend.
___
3:40
p.m.
The
five World Cup teams from Africa will get $500,000 each from the continental
governing body to help prepare for the tournament.
The
Confederation of African Football says the money is "mainly to strengthen
and improve the technical supervision of each team."
The
soccer federations of Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia will also
get $1.5 million from FIFA toward their preparations.
At
previous FIFA tournaments, some African teams have been affected by disputes
over unpaid bonuses promised to players.
In
2014, Ghana's government sent $3 million on a chartered plane to Brazil during
the tournament to pay players ahead of their final group game. The money was to
be deducted from FIFA prize money earned by Ghana.
___
2:05
p.m.
At
a media event that overran its one-hour slot, Russian Deputy Prime Minister
Vitaly Mutko defended Russia against allegations of doping and wrongdoing.
Mutko
says "we are a good partner of the world sports movement. I don't
understand why you have to trample Russia under foot."
The
1-hour, 17-minute media event with FIFA President Gianni Infantino barely
touched on the World Cup draw ceremony.
Mutko,
who is also the head of the World Cup organizing committee, pointed to doping
problems in other countries such as Britain and Norway.
Speaking
through a translator, Mutko says "if you don't fight back you will just be
smashed."
Mutko
was asked if he was embarrassed that a media event to showcase Russia hosting
the soccer World Cup kept returning to an Olympic doping scandal.
He
says he "shouldn't be ashamed about anything."
___
1:30
p.m.
FIFA
President Giannni Infantino says he will not speculate on allegations in an
American federal court linking 2022 World Cup host Qatar to payments received
by South American soccer officials.
Infantino
says he will not comment on "things that are not proven."
Witnesses
in the trial of a former FIFA vice president and two other former soccer
federation presidents from South America have provided details of irregular
payments and offers of payment from Qatari officials. The three defendants deny
wrongdoing.
Infantino
also cautioned against western nations who try to "paint with a dark
paint, everything that comes from the east - Russia or the Arab world."
The
Swiss official says there is a tendency for the west to think "we are the
best ones ... we know how democracy works."
Infantino
says he hopes the World Cup "will change the way the world looks at
Russia."
___
1:05
p.m.
Russian
Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko says "there is no proof" of a
state-backed doping system in the country, despite an Olympic judging panel
this week detailing why it believed there was an organized conspiracy at the
2014 Sochi Games.
Mutko
gave a defiant answer of about 12 minutes when asked if the soccer World Cup
could be affected by an International Olympic Committee decision on Tuesday
which could ban Russia from the Pyeongchang Games in February.
Mutko,
who is the head of the World Cup organizing committee, says "we hope
common sense will prevail."
He
also insisted the IOC "cannot dictate" what positions individual
people hold in member countries.
In
July 2016, the IOC banned Mutko, then Russia's sports minister, from attending
the Rio de Janeiro Olympics when a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation
detailed orchestrated cheating at the Sochi Games.
Mutko
was further implicated this week when extracts were published from the diaries
of the former director of Russia's anti-doping laboratories. The IOC judging
panel said it believed the diaries were "significant" evidence.
Joining
Mutko at a news conference on Friday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino says he
is "very relaxed" about next week's IOC executive board meeting.
___
12:10
p.m.
Officials
from the 32 World Cup teams have gathered in Moscow to find out who will play
who at next year's tournament in Russia.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin is due to appear at the draw ceremony, which will take
place Friday at the State Kremlin Palace.
The
draw will be presided over by former England striker Gary Lineker, who has
previously called for FIFA to be disbanded over bribery scandals and questioned
Russia's legitimacy to host the World Cup.
The
32 finalists will be split into eight groups of four teams. Only Europe can
have two teams in the same group.
Russia will play the
opening game on June 14. The final will be held on July 15.
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