or. are. they face our world world's biggest sporting spectacle is coming to russia from all

over the planet will dictate out for that coveted prize. to the baltic. just one month ago how ready is the country for once in a lifetime event well i asked. head of the twenty eight. organizing committee. for the twenty eight world cup. going through last minute adjustments and making sure everything is up to standard world greatest tournaments. availability to free intercity trains. and more and stadiums every three world cup. chance to shine what is new and unique about this year's championship and is the country well prepared to handle the influx of tourists for the competition. great to have you on our program today welcome. right so you took part in preparations for the sochi olympics obviously

the world cup is in terms of infrastructure in terms of scale a much bigger thing eleven cities twelve stadiums does it make the world cup more complex from an organizational point of view. well we traditionally did not compare the two events they are very different one is multi-sport event and one city we have a single sport event which is scattered throughout european part of russia but. it is it is complex it is indeed multifaceted it involves a lot of fans who come to russia who want to see great football inside russia russian citizens. in general almost three million tickets are distributed for the world cup so it is a grand event you seem very calm and confident during one of the operational visits to russia fifth officials were saying while washing facilities were progressing on

track but the devil is in they tell us what details do they mean and what kind of details do the general public may. well it's hard for me to say which details they meant the world cup is about details world cup has very specific requirements for all the venues for all stadiums. regular stadiums which are used for. national league games they could not instantly host the world cup they need additional preparation for the need of the patient. and that's what we're doing right now all the stadiums are ready and there will finish adaptation work for for the world cup itself the decoration of the stadiums the fine tuning the stadiums and there will be completely ready for the world cup but so this is happening do you have a wake last minute catastrophists that you have to deal with i mean we always think not going to see this in the news like something that you can look back and laugh

right now behind the scenes stuff. catastrophe would be a very strong word but. usually something happens yes we do we think that we. undertook as much precautions as we could. we hope that everything will go into the plan but usually something happens yes we we've seen a big football tournament where. pictures have been replaced between the matches we've seen. in the past matches that were delayed or or even removed postponed. but well nothing is like that happens that russia will cook during the test runs the new stadiums on a show for the world cup have seen enormous queues and traffic going in and out are going to make sure that the fans are going to be watching the game from the queue and sever their seats while in every city we have a very detailed the very thought through transport plan.

this plan will be tested during three matches which will take place at every city before the world cup. but these test matches are good indication to us whether it be our plans work whether the venue works in general for big crowds of people or that if something doesn't work would change it but usually we would come fully prepared if you saw luzhniki how it's improved over two matches. the same thing will happen with every stadium so the white house has issued a travel warning for fans going to the world going which was. the american white house washington at fifa pat says and the russian officials are saying that the security situation is under control so tell me do americans know something we don't get i believe. you know security situation is indeed under control we have a very robust security concept every law enforcement agency is part of it

it's part of its implementation the implementation or we we have tested our security abilities during confederation's cup everything worked so we have no reason to believe why it shouldn't or during during the world cup and. it said multiple international events there were no security incidents but also we have a good track record of. being able to organize security and safety for all our guests so if which is put this like the plum diplomatic spat aside and talk seriously terrorism isis has threatened attacks during the tournament what extra anti-terrorist measures are in place with all the proper and to terrorist measures will be in place for sure i cannot tell you the specifics but. over it every just should be confident that. all the measures are being taken

there is. is a huge effort behind. behind organizing security fair one. i know that tourist police units will be step list and host cities some units already patrolling moscow how different are they from regular police and what are they going to be doing there's a new effort we we're also looking at it like anybody else. hopefully there be it's more about the system towards threat of them policing or taking measures it's about making sure that everybody is comfortable that there is no wishes. that everybody everybody has responses to their questions so that we my idea would be that it's more about about assisting and making people comfortable about their visa situation i mean most of the fans and was in the countries they're

going to be taking part and the world cup will need business to come to russia like if you go to the embassy and say i'm going to the world cup it's going to be easier to get a visa will be the situation. is very simple we fulfilled our promise to the who was football community. this world cup is visa free. people should just get an id and with an idea where they can travel visa free. will they can also present. a substitution of a family to your certificate or even electronic one and they will be let into the country without a visa. than i.d.'s are even sent by mail it's very simple to apply for it it's free service for every ticket holder we think it's going to be very convenient for everyone but you're kind of operating in the very on easy political situation

coincidentally it just so happened yes but in the yeah so you get foreign secretary johnson compared world cup in russia to the nazi olympics in one nine hundred thirty six. does that frustrate your work. for what frustrates us is that some officials do not. fully understand or do not fully accept the principle of football being beyond politics that's a fundamental principle of the world for both. of them were good that some people may have opinions but it's their own opinions it doesn't influence opinions of many other football fans who are buying tickets every day at large volumes we have very good ticket sales people vote for the world cup in russia with their money. there is a there is even to take a deficit for for certain games and we're certain that the stadiums are full and about take the deficit we're going to get to that but tell me our british fans

still buy the tickets yes large numbers decent numbers here and there was a moment among leaders in europe oh that's amazing but those are also a lot of talk about royal family not coming after this cripple incident and obviously british officials not coming and some of the european politicians also said they were income does that i don't know take away from the status of this tournament it doesn't first every found as equally valuable despite of his professional occupation. it's a personal decision whether or whether to come to watch and support your own team or not well we're glad that some people will miss miss out on this opportunity. but for us. it's a personal decision it has no reflection of the water on the world cup itself someone a year ago i remember there were football union came up with this idea of gentle fans one russian fans were welcoming brits in rostov with warm blankets and they

like that this time around. we're organized in summer so no we're no warm blankets ok maybe that you know we should i wish i knew something was over for but you know there is a traditional. welcome kid by fee for. a certain initiatives that we take. reserve your fans but. this was a club decision club initiative. of course for the world cup was a bigger event for the bigger volumes of people so blankets will not be used well i don't know russia summers get chilling in the evening. most of the rest of you will have to take a short break right now when we're back we'll continue talking to him to settle king chairman and c.e.o. of the russia two thousand and eighteen world cup a local organizing committee stay with us.

join me every thursday on the all excitement short and i'll be speaking to us of the world of politics sport i'm showbusiness i'll see that. chose seemed wrong. but old rules just don't. mean you get to shape out just because you add to it and engagement equals betrayal. when so many find themselves worlds apart. just to look for common ground.

so what we've got to do is identify the threats that we have it's crazy. let it be an arms race off and spearing dramatic development the only move really i'm going to resist i don't see how that strategy will be successful very critical time to sit down and talk. in twenty forty you know bloody revolution through to create the demonstrations going to be relatively peaceful political protests to be creasing the violence revolution is always spontaneous or is it you know or here i mean your lives put. a neighbor lose out on the school in the middle of the former ukrainian president recalls the events of twenty fourteen. those who took coach has invested over five

billion dollars to assist ukraine in these and other goals that will ensure a secure and prosperous and democratic. and the politics in washington not been driven by the fossil fuel energy lobbyist they could have gone into renewables ten twenty years earlier and those jobs would be in place generating good paying jobs in america would be part of a growing world beating industry because they kowtow to those lobbyist they got stuck in the coal business which by the gas business which is a dodgy end for a lot of reasons and now it's going to be obliterated by the chinese led revolution in song.

we're back with. chairman and c.e.o. . if there were twenty eighteen world cup a local organizing committee mr saddle can during friendly match with rains in st petersburg i remember late march few french players actually claimed that they were subject to racist abuse i mean i know that you can't really prevent incidents where exist because there's no cure for a human stupidity but. anything you can do to minimize things like that. of course i would been doing that together with the russian football union. we think in general a lot has been done and the number of such incidents what exactly. well usually it's two fold it's. explaining to be.