No Complaints From FIFA On Confederations Cup In Russia

International football governing body FIFA has so far voiced no complaints regarding organisation of the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia, Russian deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko told Russia's TASS news agency.

"The first tour was held in a very good atmosphere with no rebukes received from FIFA. The atmosphere is friendly, the teams get good support," Mutko said on Tuesday. "The tournament is gaining momentum."

The minister said the rate of attendance of the tournament's events was good.

"The ticket issues are handled by FIFA, but we were not tasked with filling stadiums to full capacity at every game. The attendance rate is good for Russia. The fans were properly informed, and everyone knows when a match will be held. A lot was done to give everyone a chance to visit the tournament," Mutko said.

The Confederations Cup, widely seen as a rehearsal for the upcoming FIFA World Cup began in St. Petersburg on June 17. The event, hosted by four Russian cities - Moscow, second largest city of St. Petersburg, Black Sea resort of Sochi and Volga area city of Kazan, will end on July 2.

In the first matches of the tournament's Group A, Russia defeated New Zealand 2:0, Portugal and Mexico had a 2:2 draw. In Group B, Chile defeated Cameroon 2:0 and Australia lost 2:3 to Germany.

In the next tour, Russia will face Portugal and Mexico will face New Zealand on June 21, while Cameroon will face Australia and Germany will face Chile on June 22. The tournament will end on July 2.

Source: Bernama