Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that ousted President of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Sepp Blatter, embroiled in a string of corruption scandals, deserves to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
"He is a man who should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize," Putin said when speaking about the FIFA leader, who is accused of corruption related to his leadership of the global soccer organization.
"His contribution to international humanitarian efforts is enormous," said the Kremlin leader.
Putin noted that Russia fairly earned the right to host the 2018 World Cup and added that Moscow is committed to fighting doping in sports and is ready to cooperate with international organizations to address this issue.
However, he emphasized that athletes who did not use doping should not be punished along with the violators.
"Russia must be open and will be open to the joint fight against doping," he said.
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