FIFA president says 2018 WC in Russia to be best in history

FIFA President Gianni Infantino predicted on Wednesday that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia was set to be the best edition of the tournament in history, and emphasised that he had reformed and revived football's governing body after taking the helm two years ago.

The 48-year-old Swiss-Italian became FIFA president after Joseph "Sepp" Blatter was ousted in a corruption scandal, becoming FIFA's first new president since Blatter took office in 1988, reports Efe.

"Russia has this thing of never having been conquered. The breaking news of today is that, as of tomorrow, Russia will be conquered. Russia will be conquered by football!" Infantino said during his speech at the 68th FIFA Congress in the Russian capital Moscow.

"Football will conquer the world as of tomorrow and for quite some time," he continued.

Regarding his rehabilitation of FIFA, Infantino said the organisation had been "clinically dead" when he took over but was now "alive and well, full of joy and passion and with a vision for its future."

The 2018 World Cup is set to kick off on Thursday and run until July 15. - IANS