Russia's Putin among leaders to attend World Cup final

AFP  |  Moscow 

Russian will attend the Cup final between and in Moscow's on Sunday, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin will be joined by several leaders, including France's Emmanuel Macron, Croatian and Sheikh of Qatar, where sport's largest event will next be held in 2022.

Non-political guests will include 100-metre record holder and frontman

Beset by delays in finishing stadiums and infrastructure in the build up to the tournament -- and amid fears of the type of racism or hooliganism that has plagued the Russian game in recent decades -- is roundly being viewed as a huge success for

Gianni Infantino, whose organisation has been dogged by allegations of corruption and impropriety, said Friday that 2018 had been the "best ever", adding that the whole world "fell in love with Russia" for hosting the tournament.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Sat, July 14 2018. 22:20 IST