MOSCOW -- Full steam ahead.
That's the message Kremlin officials here put out Wednesday in an attempt to quell Russians' fears the country would lose its bid to host the World Cup in 2018 after the resignation of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, even as the FBI investigates Russia's, along with Qatar's, bids to host the soccer championship.
FBI now investigating Qatar and Russia World Cup bids. Seismic.— Heidi Blake (@HeidilBlake) June 3, 2015
Blatter stepped down after being accused of taking bribes in the 1998 and 2010 World Cups. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Blatter's departure was a shock. But it would not have any effect on the country's preparations for the 2018 World Cup, he said, which are on track, despite the scandal grabbing international headlines.
"Work is continuing, cooperation with FIFA is continuing, and most importantly, Russia is continuing preparations for the 2018 World Cup," Peskov told journalists at a briefing in Moscow Wednesday.
To prove Russia's readiness, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko and First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov toured the 45,000-person stadium and new airport being built to accommodate fans during the 2018 tournament in the southwestern city of Rostov-on-Don.
"I don’t see any threats," Mutko was quoted by the Russian state news agency TASS as saying. Blatter's resignation, he added, won't affect FIFA's decision to grant Russia hosting duties for the 2018 global soccer championship.
Russia is building or renovating 12 stadiums in 11 cities for the 2018 tournament at a cost of 660.5 billion rubles ($12.2 billion), according to The Wall Street Journal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has decried the corruption probe against top FIFA officials saying the U.S. overextended its judicial powers by opening a probe into dealings within the global soccer body as part of a devious plot to force out Blatter.
As if the FIFA scandal isn't enough for Russia to contend with, the pro-Kremlin news outlet LifeNews, which is believed to be closely tied to the country's intelligence services, reported Wednesday that Fabio Capello, head coach of the Russian national soccer team, stands accused of money laundering and holding a second contract for 10 million euros, or $11.25 million.
Capello said he plans to take legal action against his accuser, the former president of the Russian Football Union Nikolay Tolstykh, according to Reuters.