British MP: FIFA should ban Russia from hosting World Cup

A British Member of Parliament on Tuesday called on FIFA to ban Russia from hosting the World Cup in 2018.

TORONTO, Canada (Kurdistan24) – A British Member of Parliament on Tuesday called on FIFA to ban Russia from hosting the World Cup in 2018.

Toby Perkins, the Labour MP for Chesterfield, said Russia should not be allowed to hold the event after its involvement in the Syrian civil war.

The MP presented the idea at an emergency Commons debate on the Syrian crisis.

“Isn’t it utterly ludicrous that in two years’ time the greatest sporting spectacle on earth, the World Cup, is going to be held in Russia, but not a single country is pulling out?” Perkins questioned.

The Labour MP suggested stripping Russia of the World Cup would send a “message” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“If we are really serious about sending a message to Putin that is heard on the ground, shouldn’t we be questioning if the World Cup is happening in Russia?” Perkins continued.

The MP received support from other officials who urged Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to react and “consider” the suggestion.

Andrew Mitchell, the former international development secretary who organized the discussion, said he expected Johnson would “have a view” on the matter.

Mitchell added he hoped the Foreign Secretary would present “economic” and other types of sanctions against Russia.

Earlier this month, former UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg urged FIFA to cancel the tournament because he believed Putin was “mocking the world.”

“They basically abuse people’s human rights on that scale, barbarism in Aleppo, and we will prepare to play football in Moscow in 2018?” Clegg asked.

“It is a measure of how much Putin can basically mock the rest of the world, bomb Aleppo and still prepare for the World Cup in 2018,” he concluded.

 

Editing by Ava Homa