- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
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December 02, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) --- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has made a swift departure for Zurich to celebrate Russia's successful 2018 World Cup bid.
"I am going to Zurich. I promised members of the Executive Committee that if the decision was made in Russia's favor, I would certainly come to thank them personally and speak about our preparation plans," Putin said.
On Wednesday Putin announced that he would not join the Russian delegation for the announcement ceremony as he did not want put pressure on the FIFA executives making the decision.
The premier said he had been confident that the Russian bid would win.
"My confidence was based on the fact that Russia deserves to host the Cup," Putin said.
Other countries bidding to host one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar were England, Portugal and Spain (jointly), and Belgium and the Netherlands (jointly). (*)
MOSCOW, December 2
