Football
9y

FIFA cuts Russia World Cup video over Crimea map flap

MOSCOW -- FIFA has expressed regret on Thursday after its video launching the logo for the 2018 World Cup showed the disputed Crimean peninsula as part of Russia.

The video, broadcast as the logo was beamed onto Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre on Tuesday, included a map of host nation Russia, including Crimea.

The clip was commissioned by Russia's World Cup organizing committee from a "local creative agency" and has now been edited to remove the "short sequence in question," FIFA said.

Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in March to fierce opposition from many Western governments. The Ukrainian government still claims Crimea as part of its territory.

The annexation has already caused Russia sporting problems. UEFA ruled in August it would not recognize matches played by Crimean clubs absorbed into the Russian league system.

^ Back to Top ^