Lord of the Dance
O'Neill on Russia 2018: 'They would be extremely disappointed if they were to lose the World Cup'
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O'Neill on Russia 2018: 'They would be extremely disappointed if they were to lose the World Cup'

 

MARTIN O'Neill doesn't expect the 2018 World Cup to be moved from Russia.

The qualifying draw for the tournament takes place in St Petersburg on July 25 and O'Neill is due to travel to the event.

"Being genuine here, I haven't really had much time to think about it but, from a Russian viewpoint, I think they'd be really disappointed now - regardless of the changes that have taken place - since it's been set up for some time,” O'Neill said about the possibility of the World Cup being moved elsewhere.

"World Cups do take a certain amount of time to get ready and they'd be really disappointed now if that was to be overturned.

"There may be legal implications as well as everything else that I'd be totally unaware of, but I'd say from a Russian viewpoint they would be extremely disappointed if they were to lose the World Cup."

Regarding Sepp Blatter's decision to resign as FIFA president O'Neill said: "I probably don't really know enough. I've just been following it and going along with it. There is a change here and it looks from a distance as if things had to change at some point.

"I would say, essentially, the same thing as most other people. There has been a lot of pressure in the last couple of days heaped on him. And he has made that decision.

"I would not know the ins and outs of what is happening. I'm a general reader like anyone else."