Joseph Blatter, the suspended president of world football governing body FIFA, deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for bringing countries together through the sport, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
Blatter is a "very admirable person. He has done a lot for the development of global football," Putin said during his annual press conference in Moscow. "We should give him the Nobel peace prize."
Blatter's "contribution to the humanitarian sphere in the world has been collossal," he added.
FIFA has been plagued by scandal this year and on Thursday the adjudicatory chamber of its ethics committee heard a case against Blatter over a "disloyal payment" of 2 million dollars made to UEFA president Platini in 2011 for FIFA work done between 1998 and 2002.
Both men protest their innocence but could face life bans from the game if found guilty of corruption.
Putin has suggested that a US investigation into high-ranking FIFA officials could stem from the United States and its close ally Britain being denied the right to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and 2018, respectively.
He made similar comments in July, shortly after Blatter, who has been FIFA's president since 1998, said he would step down.
Putin said at the time that he didn't believe one word about corruption connected with Blatter.
And the Russian President again insisted his country had won the right to host the 2018 World Cup as a result of a fair competition.
Russia is spending an estimated 10 billion euros (11 billion dollars) on the event, including building or upgrading a dozen stadiums across 11 cities.
