2018 World Cup in Russia: "We are expecting a smooth operation" (Gianni Infantino, FIFA)

"We expect a great atmosphere in Russia next summer, the world will discover a country which is open, which is welcoming, which is warm, which loves to party and to enjoy and to celebrate football. We are expecting a smooth operation," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino (ITA / SUI), on 27/11/2017, before the draw for the final round of the 2018 World Cup held in Moscow on Friday 01/12/2017 at 16.00 CET.

"When we talk about anti-discrimination, at FIFA this is a very high priority and we will make sure that no incidents happen, but if incidents do happen, then we have for the first time in a World Cup, the so-called 'three-step' procedure where a referee can stop a game or even abandon a game if there are discriminatory racist incidents. This is absolutely not tolerable and we will be very very firm on that so we can expect fair play in Russia," said Gianni Infantino in a video message posted on the FIFA website.

"Everything is done for the fans. For instance, a new concept with a 'Fan ID' has been put into place by the Russian government. The Fan ID will allow visa-free entry (to…