Russia claims US is trying to sabotage next year's World Cup because its team did not qualify

RUSSIAN legislator Senator Andrei Klimov has accused the US of trying to sabotage the 2018 World Cup due to kick off un June this year in a bid to discredit the event simply because the American team did not qualify.

Between June 14 and July 15, 32 nations will compete with the world's most prestigious sporting prize when Russia hosts its first ever World Cup. For the first time in the last eight tournaments, the US failed to qualify after a dismal qualification run that saw the Americans lose 1-2 away to lowly Trinidad and Tobago in their final game.

Since 1990, the US has qualified for every World Cup, even getting to the quarter finals in 2002 and the elimination of Team USA last month, sent shockwaves across the sport in America. Several other traditional World Cup participants like Italy and Holland also failed to qualify for Russia 2018.

Senator Klimov, The Federation Council Upper House of Parliament’s new protection of state sovereignty commissioner, said he had credible evidence of the US plotting to discredit the 2018 World Cup. His claim came in the heat of a diplomatic war between Russia and the West over disputes ranging from Ukraine and Syria to Moscow’s alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential elections.

“The commission has received credible evidence showing that American government officials are directly steering their European colleagues into using the subject of sport to the utmost to discredit Russia in 2018.  We have grounds to believe that an attack will occur on the football World Cup,” Senator Klimov said.

He added that Russia will have to take retaliatory measures but offered no hint about what kind of attack he thought Washington was preparing. Given that the US did not qualify for the World Cup, it will avoid the politically-charged potential of facing Russia at a time when diplomatic relations are near a post-Cold War low.

Already, Russia is facing a wide-ranging doping investigation that threatens its participation in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang in February next year.  President Vladimir Putin called the probe a US attempt to interfere in Russia’s March presidential election that he is widely expected to contest and win.

Already, Russia has withdrawn its bid to host the 2023 Basketball World Cup in protest at alleged bias against its athletes. Russian Basketball Association president Andrei Kirilenko, said that considering the global sporting community’s attitude towards Russian athletes and sports as a whole, they have decided not to contest the right to host the Wold Cup.