MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked FIFA on Wednesday for keeping politics out of sport, the day before the start of the soccer World Cup.

Russia will host the tournament from June 14 to July 15 in 12 stadiums spread across cities including Moscow, St Petersburg and Sochi.

“I wanted to underline FIFA’s commitment to the principle of sports without politics,” Putin said during a FIFA Congress in Moscow while standing next to the World Cup trophy.