FIFA shelves bidding for 2026 World Cup

RUSSIA SEES NO THREAT

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said he saw no threat to Russia hosting the cup in 2018 and its bid was in line with the law.

Valcke, sitting beside Mutko after visiting one of the 2018 venues, said plans were on track and there had been nothing in Russia's bid to conclude it was not in line with the regulations.

In Paris, UEFA president Michel Platini, holding his first news conference since Blatter's resignation, welcomed the decision to postpone the bidding for 2026.

"It's normal. There was a process that was launched for a vote in 2017," said Platini, who has become a leading critic of Blatter and FIFA. "There is no leadership at the moment, so it's normal that it's suspended. It's good."

On Blatter's replacement, FIFA would not confirm a report by the BBC that the election would take place on Dec. 16 in Zurich.

Last week, Domenico Scala, head of FIFA's audit and compliance committee and the man responsible for overseeing the election, said it could take place any time between December and March. Four months' notice are needed for a presidential election to be held.

Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, who lost to Blatter in the election, is tipped as a possible candidate while Chung Mong-joon, the billionaire scion of South Korea's Hyundai conglomerate, is also weighing up a bid.

Platini on Wednesday intervened in a controversy over French Prime Minister Manuel Valls' attendance at last Saturday's Champions League final in Berlin, after a row exploded about Valls' use of a government jet to get there.

Platini said he had invited Valls, who wanted to discuss the EURO 2016 tournament, to be hosted by France, and the corruption allegations engulfing FIFA.

Valls is facing accusations that he treated himself and his two children to a private excursion at taxpayers' expense.