At the meeting in Sochi Russia’s president Vladimir Putin thanked the UEFA president Michel Platini for his support of the Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko candidacy in the executive committee of FIFA.
During the conversation, the president of Russia promised the European football chief to learn French together with Mutko.
“He already knows how to say some words in French, including “good afternoon”, “here’s to your health”, and “that’s a decent sized purse” – that’s a French proverb,” Michel Platini said.
“He probably knows another French saying – Cherchez la femme,” Putin said.
Recently Mutko and Platini had visited the facilities being built for the Sochi Winter Olympics, but the head of UEFA said he would also like to see the Russia’s preparation for the FIFA World Cup to be held in 2018, and expressed his admiration for Russian football:
“You have a great coach and excellent players – as you showed against Brazil. Russian football has excellent future prospects,” Platini noted.
