July 28--The lovefest between Sepp Blatter and Vladimir Putin continues.
Blatter appeared with the Russian president in Moscow last weekend for the World Cup qualifying draw, the first time the FIFA leader has left his native Switzerland since Swiss and U.S. authorities announced separate corruption investigations into his organization.
On Saturday, Blatter told Putin that the Russian people "can be proud" of him. Two days later, Putin was singing Blatter's praises in an interview on Swiss TV.
"People like Mr. Blatter, or the heads of big international sporting federations, or the Olympic Games, deserve special recognition," Putin said Monday on Swiss TV. "If there is anyone who deserves the Nobel Prize, it's those people."
It just so happens that Russia will host the 2018 World Cup, just four years after it held the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It also just so happens that Russia's successful bid for the World Cup is a key focus of the Swiss investigation.
"We all know the situation developing around Mr. Blatter right now," Putin said during the interview. "I don't want to go into details, but I don't believe a word about him being involved in corruption, personally."
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