Guardian News and Media/London
Prime Minister David Cameron, does not currently believe Russia should be stripped of hosting the 2018 World Cup but is not surprised the issue is being raised, the government says.
The prime minister held back from calling for the football tournament to be taken away from Russia after Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, said it was “unthinkable” that the contest could be held there if the country’s belligerence continues.
The Labour party spokesperson for foreign affairs, Douglas Alexander, urged football’s governing body, FIFA, to draw up contingency plans for the event to be held elsewhere.
Some German politicians have already called for the 2018 World Cup bidding contest to be re-run after international condemnation of Russia over its reaction to the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine.
The Kremlin denies that any of its weapons were used to shoot down the plane but the UK, US and Ukraine have all said there are strong reasons to suspect the plane was shot down accidentally by pro-Putin separatists using a Soviet-era missile supplied by Russia.
The government would not join those suggesting the football event should be cancelled, but the fact that this is being mooted by some “shows the importance of Russia changing course, before its international standing is damaged even further”, a spokesman said.
“The prime minister does not believe we should reach immediately for boycotts, but it is also not surprising, given Russian behaviour, that people are starting to raise the issue.”
Fifa has ruled out a boycott, insisting the tournament could be “a force for good”.
However, Clegg told the Sunday Times that stripping Russia of major sporting events would be a “very potent political and symbolic sanction”.
“Vladimir Putin himself has to understand that he can’t have his cake and eat it,” the Liberal Democrat leader said. “He can’t constantly push the patience of the international community beyond breaking point, destabilise a neighbouring country, protect these armed separatists in the east of Ukraine and still have the privilege and honour of receiving all the accolades in 2018 for being the host nation of the World Cup.
“That’s why I’ve come to the view that if he doesn’t change course it’s just not on, the idea that Russia will host the World Cup in 2018. You can’t have this - the beautiful game marred by the ugly aggression of Russia on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
“Not only would Vladimir Putin exploit it, I think it would make the rest of the world look so weak and so insincere about our protestations about Vladimir Putin’s behaviour if we’re not prepared to pull the plug.”
Clegg also raised “question marks” over Russia holding the Grand Prix in Sochi in October. “Putin is a past master at attending these sporting events and, sort of, pretending almost as if everything’s utterly normal and nothing untoward is happening around him,” he said. “And if anyone needed any reminding of how dangerous this conflict is in the heart of Europe, just ask any of the family and relatives of those loved ones they lost in that plane incident last week.”
