Putin to meet Blatter at '18 WC draw

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet outgoing FIFA head Sepp Blatter on the sidelines of a 2018 World Cup draw, the Kremlin said, amid a corruption scandal that threatened to hit Russia's hosting of the event.

"A meeting with Blatter is expected, it is on the agenda" at the event in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies on Tuesday.

Russia is set to host the 2018 World Cup, but the bidding process for the tournament, as well as that of Qatar's 2024 World Cup, has come under scrutiny as part of twin Swiss and US corruption investigations into FIFA's practices.