Prominent businessman and President of FC Shakhtar Donetsk Rinat Akhmetov has welcomed Russia's winning bid for the World Cup in 2018, predicting "huge investment" in Russia in this connection, but said he is not planning to invest in Russian football.
"It’s very good for the promotion of football in Russia. We are neighbors, and all our fans will have a wonderful opportunity to attend World Cup matches. I think that there will be huge investment in football, and that’s very important," the club’s press service quoted Akhmetov as saying.
He also added: "Any investment in sports, in football, is the key to growth."
However, Akhmetov said that he was committed to developing Ukrainian football.
"There are many businessmen in Russia who would like to invest in domestic football and Russian infrastructure. I would like to invest only in Ukrainian football and our infrastructure. And I will do it with great pleasure. FC Shakhtar has always been in my heart, and there will never be a place for other clubs," he said.
As reported, in Zurich on Dec. 2 the FIFA Executive Committee chose Russia as the host of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
