Kazan is ready to hold FIFA even tomorrow – Tatarstan Ministry of Sports

Security provision is the number one issue in preparation for the football matches of the 2018 World Cup in Kazan, First Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport of Tatarstan Khalil Shaikhutdinov has claimed at a meeting with Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of the UK to Russia Ian Proud. The meeting in Kazan was devoted to the preparation and holding of the 2018 FIFA World Cup/

In his opening speech, the deputy minister said that the preparation for such a large competition was going according to the plan. "Almost every month Kazan hosts several large international competitions, so it's safe to say that our city is well-prepared for such events," Khalil Shaikhutdinov said. He noted that security was the number one issue to pay attention to. "We have adopted the experience of our French colleagues in preparation for the Euro-2016," he said.

The official draw attention to the professional organizing team, and completing his speech, assured the guest: "If they tell us to hold the competition tomorrow, we will be ready!"

In his turn, Ian Proud expressed confidence that all foreigners who came to the FIFA World Cup would feel comfortable in Kazan. Continuing the theme of safety, he went on speaking about the experience of British police, which had a special department for working with "difficult fans" and proposed to hold a joint meeting devoted to the possibilities of mutual interaction. "With the experience gained, I am sure that you will be able to hold the event at the high level," Mr. Proud said. However, he warned that one should be very careful with British fans, as some of them came in organized groups, while others created them on arrival.

Khalil Shaikhutdinov assured that relating problems were unlikely to arise, as far as a special contact center would be established to tackle current issues. Closing the meeting, the sides agreed to hold further meetings and to discuss further cooperation.