FIFA president praises Russia for hosting perfect tourney

STPETERSBURG:Russia won praise for a successful World Cup warm-up tournament, though it has faced new questions about past doping issues.

Germany captain Julian Draxler joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino in thanking Russia ahead of the Confederations Cup final on Sunday when the 2014 World Cup winner plays South American champion Chile.

“Thank you for your brilliant organization, for the many helping hands along the way, and for always making us feel safe,” Draxler said in a statement published on Saturday by Germany .

Infantino said later at a news conference in St Petersburg stadium that “everything ran perfectly” in Russia. “We were hearing about violence, about incidents, about hooligans, about racism — but we had nothing,” Infantino said, referring to pre-tournament questions that have dogged football in the host nation.

Still, the doping shadow cast on Russian sports by a series of World Anti-Doping Agency investigation reports since 2015 also re-emerged during the twoweek World Cup dress rehearsal.

FIFA is aware of 155 potentially suspect samples given by players in Russia that need to be tested, WADA-appointed investigator Richard McLaren has told German broadcaster ARD.

Infantino, who was flanked by Russian deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko, said Saturday he could not set a timetable for Russian cases that the FIFA disciplinary committee must handle arising from McLaren reports.

However, key judgments on the Canadian law professor’s allegations against Russia are looming and could be announced within weeks.