By Andrew Warshaw

April 26 – FIFA has rejected German accusations that it is restricting press freedom during this summer’s Confederations Cup in Russia, the traditional World Cup warm-up tournament.

FIFA insists media representatives will be able to “work freely on the venues and in the surrounding areas without any restrictions,” in a joint statement with the organisers.

“Press freedom is the top priority for the FIFA, so we are constantly striving to provide media representatives with the best possible conditions for free reporting.”

FIFA was responding to German FA boss Reinhard Grindel backing a campaign against alleged Russian censorship by Bild, Germany’s biggest-selling paper, which says it will boycott the event if journalists are not given freedom to report as they please.

“A journalist who cannot report everything he sees is not a journalist, but a propagandist,” Bild wrote.

Guidelines issued to journalists working in print media with approved accreditation for the tournament stipulate that they “will solely cover the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and related events,” with their reporting limited to the “territory of the host cities and cultural sites located nearby.”

Anyone seeking to report from other territories, or cover events unrelated to the Confederations Cup will be required to obtain a separate visa issued by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That stipulation is not included in the guidelines for broadcasters with approved accreditation.

Grindel, newly elected to the FIFA Council, has vowed to address the issue at the Council’s next meeting in Bahrain in May.

“I will advocate for free coverage for accredited journalists at the Confederations Cup,” he was quoted as saying by Bild. “It would be an important signal for the 2018 World Cup if the Russian Organising Committee, right from the dress rehearsal, made it clear there are no restrictions of the freedom of press.”

There was also support from the German journalists organisation. “These are the conditions of a dictatorship that is afraid that the media could be critical of the political, economic and social environment of the tournament,” wrote DJV [Deutsche Journalisten-Verband] boss Frank Überall to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, head of the World Cup organising committee but no longer occupying a place at FIFA’s top table, insisted reporters would be able to cover “everything they want, without any problems” saying rules on reporting from the rest of country were long established.

“In Russia there is an accreditation procedure for foreign journalists which has been in force since 1994,” Mutko said after a meeting with FIFA officials in Saint Petersburg.

Russia will host the Confederations Cup from June 17 until July 2 in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan and Sochi. The hosts entertain New Zealand in the opening game.

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