Russia’s top court has reportedly banned the country’s only registered anti-war political party ahead of key elections, dealing a significant blow to the organised anti-war opposition.

The court decision comes as Russia prepares for an important electoral period and amid continued scrutiny of political competition and opposition activity. The move could further reshape the country’s political landscape ahead of the upcoming vote.

 Russia's Top Court Bans Only Registered Anti-War Party Ahead of Key Elections

A prominent Russian journalist and a lawyer were attacked by armed masked men in the Russian region of Chechnya, early Tuesday (July 4), said the journalist’s employer and rights groups. At the time of the attack, Yelena Milashina, accompanied by a lawyer, was travelling to the Chechen capital Grozny from the local airport to attend a court hearing in the morning when their&nbsp;car was forced to stop.&nbsp;

<h2>What do we know about the incident?</h2>

The attack occurred when Yelena Milashina, an award-winning Russian investigative journalist working for the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was travelling to the Chechen capital city along with Alexander Nemov, a lawyer, for a court hearing from the local airport.&nbsp;

The court hearing was reportedly related to a case of a woman who they believe was being unjustly persecuted. According to the Russian journalist’s employer, Novaya Gazeta, which is said to be a prominent independent publication in Moscow, Milashina and Nemov are in a hospital in Grozny.&nbsp;

“It was a classic kidnapping...They pinned (our driver) down, threw him out of his car, got in, bent our heads down, tied my hands, knelt me down there, and put a gun to my head,” Milashina told Mansur Soltayev, a Chechen human rights official, in a hospital at Grozny, as quoted by Reuters.&nbsp;

Memorial, a human rights group, which is banned in Russia, released a statement on Telegram and said that Milashina and Nemov were “brutally kicked, including in the face, received death threats and were threatened with a gun to the head.”&nbsp;

It added, “Their equipment was taken away and smashed. While being beaten, they were told: ‘You have been warned. Get out of here and don’t write anything’”.

<h2>What was the court hearing in Grozny about?</h2>

The Russian media outlet said&nbsp;that the duo were on their way to attend the sentencing of Zarema Musayeva who is the mother of three exiles who had been critical of the Head of the Chechen republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. Musayeva was detained by Chechen forces in January&nbsp;last year.&nbsp;

Musayeva, a Chechen woman was charged with assaulting a policeman and fraud. She has denied the charges. Meanwhile, critics have called it a case of revenge against her sons and husband who have since fled the country. The court found Musayeva guilty and sentenced her to five-and-a-half years in a penal colony.

<h2>The condition of the victims</h2>

Describing the victims’ injuries, the Memorial said, “Milashina’s fingers have been broken and “she is sometimes losing consciousness,” adding “She has bruises all over her body.”&nbsp;

The image of the Russian journalist released by the Committee Against Torture shows Milashina sitting on a hospital bed with her face covered in green dye, presumably thrown by the attackers, and her head shaven, also by the armed men.&nbsp;

Additionally, her left arm was covered in bandages while several of her fingers had been broken, as per reports. According to “Team against Torture”, Nemov was stabbed in the leg and cited the lawyer to claim that the masked attackers had used three cars to block their vehicle.&nbsp;

The Russian journalist and lawyer were taken to a hospital in the Chechen capital and are expected to be flown to Moscow for further treatment.

<h2>How has Russia reacted to the attack?</h2>

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, on Tuesday, told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been informed about what he called a “very serious attack” which will be investigated and followed by “energetic measures".

Notably, Milashina was also forced to leave Russia temporarily&nbsp;last year in February after receiving death threats from the Chechen leadership, said the Novaya Gazeta, whose licence was also revoked last year. Additionally, the Russian journalist had also been called a terrorist in a social media post by Kadyrov which prompted her employer to evacuate her from the country.&nbsp;

Milashina has been covering rights abuses in Chechnya for the Russian publication for years now, which Kadyrov has denied.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

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A prominent Russian journalist and a lawyer were attacked by armed masked men in the Russian region of Chechnya, early Tuesday (July 4), said the journalist’s employer and rights groups.

A prominent Russian journalist and a lawyer were attacked by armed masked men in the Russian region of Chechnya, early Tuesday (July 4), said the journalist’s employer and rights groups. At the time of the attack, Yelena Milashina, accompanied by a lawyer, was travelling to the Chechen capital Grozny from the local airport to attend a court hearing in the morning when their car was forced to stop. What do we know about the incident? The attack occurred when Yelena Milashina, an award-winning Russian investigative journalist working for the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was travelling to the Chechen capital city along with Alexander Nemov, a lawyer, for a court hearing from the local airport. The court hearing was reportedly related to a case of a woman who they believe was being unjustly persecuted. According to the Russian journalist’s employer, Novaya Gazeta, which is said to be a prominent independent publication in Moscow, Milashina and Nemov are in a hospital in Grozny. “It was a classic kidnapping...They pinned (our driver) down, threw him out of his car, got in, bent our heads down, tied my hands, knelt me down there, and put a gun to my head,” Milashina told Mansur Soltayev, a Chechen human rights official, in a hospital at Grozny, as quoted by Reuters. Memorial, a human rights group, which is banned in Russia, released a statement on Telegram and said that Milashina and Nemov were “brutally kicked, including in the face, received death threats and were threatened with a gun to the head.” It added, “Their equipment was taken away and smashed. While being beaten, they were told: ‘You have been warned. Get out of here and don’t write anything’”. What was the court hearing in Grozny about? The Russian media outlet said that the duo were on their way to attend the sentencing of Zarema Musayeva who is the mother of three exiles who had been critical of the Head of the Chechen republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. Musayeva was detained by Chechen forces in January last year. Musayeva, a Chechen woman was charged with assaulting a policeman and fraud. She has denied the charges. Meanwhile, critics have called it a case of revenge against her sons and husband who have since fled the country. The court found Musayeva guilty and sentenced her to five-and-a-half years in a penal colony. The condition of the victims Describing the victims’ injuries, the Memorial said, “Milashina’s fingers have been broken and “she is sometimes losing consciousness,” adding “She has bruises all over her body.” The image of the Russian journalist released by the Committee Against Torture shows Milashina sitting on a hospital bed with her face covered in green dye, presumably thrown by the attackers, and her head shaven, also by the armed men. Additionally, her left arm was covered in bandages while several of her fingers had been broken, as per reports. According to “Team against Torture”, Nemov was stabbed in the leg and cited the lawyer to claim that the masked attackers had used three cars to block their vehicle. The Russian journalist and lawyer were taken to a hospital in the Chechen capital and are expected to be flown to Moscow for further treatment. How has Russia reacted to the attack? Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, on Tuesday, told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been informed about what he called a “very serious attack” which will be investigated and followed by “energetic measures". Notably, Milashina was also forced to leave Russia temporarily last year in February after receiving death threats from the Chechen leadership, said the Novaya Gazeta, whose licence was also revoked last year. Additionally, the Russian journalist had also been called a terrorist in a social media post by Kadyrov which prompted her employer to evacuate her from the country. Milashina has been covering rights abuses in Chechnya for the Russian publication for years now, which Kadyrov has denied. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Prominent Russian journalist and lawyer ‘brutally’ attacked in Chechnya

Russian Kremlin's critic Alexei&nbsp;Navalny has been in the hospital for the past one week, since he was allegedly poisoned for being an active critic of the Russian leader Valdimir Putin.

Now that the critic is stable, some doctors have claimed that no trace of poison was found during his treatment. However, some German doctors disagree with this claim.

To put an end to the rumours and the controversies, Russia's&nbsp;Interior Ministry is launching an investigation into the hospitalisation of the opposition leader.

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Navalny was taken to the hospital after he was allegedly poisoned during a flight&nbsp;rom the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow.

While Russian doctors had claimed that there was no trace of poison, German doctors who treated&nbsp;Navalny later disagreed with the claim.

The Interior Ministry has, therefore, opened an investigation into the matter. The transportation unit of the Ministry is&nbsp;currently carrying out preliminary searches in the hotel room where&nbsp;Navalny stayed and the routes he took in the city. The video surveillance footage from the area will also be investigated.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-regrets-russias-lack-of-transparency-over-navalny-poisoning-case-323406">Also read:&nbsp;France regrets Russia's lack of 'transparency' over Navalny poisoning case</a>

As of now, the investigators have not found any drugs or any other potent substances from the hotel room. The Russian prosecutors have also asked Germany for Navalny's medical files from his treatment at the German clinic.

The investigation is a step towards Russia trying to clear the rumours around the critic's health, which can affect Moscow's relationship with the West.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, however,&nbsp;said on Thursday he was bemused by Russia not taking a transparent approach over the possible poisoning of Navalny.

Russian Kremlin's critic Alexei Navalny has been in the hospital for the past one week, since he was allegedly poisoned for being an active critic of the Russian leader Valdimir Putin.

Russian Kremlin's critic Alexei Navalny has been in the hospital for the past one week, since he was allegedly poisoned for being an active critic of the Russian leader Valdimir Putin. Now that the critic is stable, some doctors have claimed that no trace of poison was found during his treatment. However, some German doctors disagree with this claim. To put an end to the rumours and the controversies, Russia's Interior Ministry is launching an investigation into the hospitalisation of the opposition leader. × Navalny was taken to the hospital after he was allegedly poisoned during a flight rom the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow. While Russian doctors had claimed that there was no trace of poison, German doctors who treated Navalny later disagreed with the claim. The Interior Ministry has, therefore, opened an investigation into the matter. The transportation unit of the Ministry is currently carrying out preliminary searches in the hotel room where Navalny stayed and the routes he took in the city. The video surveillance footage from the area will also be investigated. Also read: France regrets Russia's lack of 'transparency' over Navalny poisoning case As of now, the investigators have not found any drugs or any other potent substances from the hotel room. The Russian prosecutors have also asked Germany for Navalny's medical files from his treatment at the German clinic. The investigation is a step towards Russia trying to clear the rumours around the critic's health, which can affect Moscow's relationship with the West. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, however, said on Thursday he was bemused by Russia not taking a transparent approach over the possible poisoning of Navalny.

Russia starts investigating Alexei Navalny's alleged 'poisoning'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed sweeping changes to the country's political system that would shift powers away from the presidency in favour of parliament and the prime minister.

Putin's shake-up of Russian politics

Not many people may have heard about him but Abhay Kumar Singh is an MLA in the western Russian city of Kursk. He came here 30 years ago from Patna and fell in love with the country, eventually joining politics and fighting elections from the ticket of President Vladimir Putin's party--the United Russia party.&nbsp;

Our principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal spoke to Abhay Singh in Moscow on politics and his journey.

WION: Tell us about your journey from Patna to Kursk in Russia?

Abhay Kumar Singh: I came to Russia for studies in 1991. So, when I started my studies in 1990 there was a lot of vacant space for business and opportunities here as the Soviet Union had collapsed, a new country came out--Russia. I started my business parallel to my studies and after finishing my studies, I was fully involved in the business. After doing business for some time, I joined politics. I fought for MLA elections and won.

WION: And you fought from Russian President Vladimir Putin's party.

Abhay Kumar Singh: I am proud of Vladimir Putin and happy that I belong to his party, United Russia party, and I am very happy to see him in party conferences.&nbsp;

WION: How do you see India and Russia ties?

Abhay Kumar Singh: Relationship between India and Russia is more than friendship and it is&nbsp;a tradition. As a schoolboy, I went to the Russian book fairs in India. Somewhere in my heart, there was Russia, and I love this country.&nbsp;

WION: How many Indians live in Russia and&nbsp;with the lack of English is it a problem to settle here?

Abhay Kumar Singh: There is a language problem and I think, Russia is a tough country like in other countries people accept foreigners so simply. I am an example of how Russia has accepted people.

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WION: You faced any problems of acceptance by people here? Are you an outsider in Russian politics?

Abhay Kumar Singh: I don't feel any problem. I don't know why but Russians accepted me very well. My opponent in elections was defeated by a big margin. People voted for me only. In Russia, 15,000 Indian people are working and in addition around&nbsp;40,000 students are studying in different universities especially in medical. I don't think there is racism now, it had been there during the 1990s.&nbsp;

WION: How do you see the future of Russia?

Abhay Kumar Singh: In Russia, our President Putin is a very strong man and I think he is not only a Russian leader but a world leader. Now, Russia is at the top in&nbsp;the world, our country is very strong and any problem will be solved.

WION: How do you see India&nbsp;and PM Modi. He will be visiting Russia next week?

Abhay Kumar Singh: In Russia, a lot of people like him. He is a strong leader and most welcome him to Russia. We are happy to see him.&nbsp;

Not many people may have heard about him but Abhay Kumar Singh is an MLA in the western Russian city of Kursk. He came here 30 years ago from Patna and fell in love with the country, eventually joining politics and fighting elections from the ticket of President Vladimir Putin's party--the United Russia party.

Not many people may have heard about him but Abhay Kumar Singh is an MLA in the western Russian city of Kursk. He came here 30 years ago from Patna and fell in love with the country, eventually joining politics and fighting elections from the ticket of President Vladimir Putin's party--the United Russia party. Our principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal spoke to Abhay Singh in Moscow on politics and his journey. WION: Tell us about your journey from Patna to Kursk in Russia? Abhay Kumar Singh: I came to Russia for studies in 1991. So, when I started my studies in 1990 there was a lot of vacant space for business and opportunities here as the Soviet Union had collapsed, a new country came out--Russia. I started my business parallel to my studies and after finishing my studies, I was fully involved in the business. After doing business for some time, I joined politics. I fought for MLA elections and won. WION: And you fought from Russian President Vladimir Putin's party. Abhay Kumar Singh: I am proud of Vladimir Putin and happy that I belong to his party, United Russia party, and I am very happy to see him in party conferences. WION: How do you see India and Russia ties? Abhay Kumar Singh: Relationship between India and Russia is more than friendship and it is a tradition. As a schoolboy, I went to the Russian book fairs in India. Somewhere in my heart, there was Russia, and I love this country. WION: How many Indians live in Russia and with the lack of English is it a problem to settle here? Abhay Kumar Singh: There is a language problem and I think, Russia is a tough country like in other countries people accept foreigners so simply. I am an example of how Russia has accepted people. Watch video- × WION: You faced any problems of acceptance by people here? Are you an outsider in Russian politics? Abhay Kumar Singh: I don't feel any problem. I don't know why but Russians accepted me very well. My opponent in elections was defeated by a big margin. People voted for me only. In Russia, 15,000 Indian people are working and in addition around 40,000 students are studying in different universities especially in medical. I don't think there is racism now, it had been there during the 1990s. WION: How do you see the future of Russia? Abhay Kumar Singh: In Russia, our President Putin is a very strong man and I think he is not only a Russian leader but a world leader. Now, Russia is at the top in the world, our country is very strong and any problem will be solved. WION: How do you see India and PM Modi. He will be visiting Russia next week? Abhay Kumar Singh: In Russia, a lot of people like him. He is a strong leader and most welcome him to Russia. We are happy to see him.

From Patna to Kursk! Indian origin MLA Abhay Singh says he was never an outsider in Russia

By:&nbspDavid Rowe*

With the FIFA World Cup just days away, I have been chatting with people on my travels through central and northern Europe to gauge their opinions about Russia being the host.

Several people have simply sighed, resigned to the fact that nefarious FIFA politics won the day. One Prague taxi driver, remembering the Soviet-led invasion of his country in 1968, hated the idea, but another Czech shrugged and said that most people, especially those too young to remember the Communist rule, would just focus on the football.

Indeed, many football fans will be thinking only of stoppage-time goals, dubious penalties and defence-splitting passes when the tournament kicks off on Thursday. But it’s also worth reflecting on Russia and the ethics of selecting hosts for major events in today’s commercially driven and politicised sports world.

The case against Russia

Every time there is a contest to host a World Cup or Olympics, debate ensues about the criteria for selection. These include technical matters like the economic and infrastructural capacity to stage a massive spectacle, and an overarching belief in spreading sports like football to new corners of the world.

But non-sporting matters also come into consideration. Organisers always consider the potential that awarding hosting rights to the wrong country could bring a major sporting event into disrepute.

Cases have been made against a string of host cities and countries over the years. These include the 1978 Argentina World Cup (military coup), the 1968 Mexico City and 1988 Seoul Olympics (popular demonstrations and violence), the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics (bribery), the 2008 Beijing Olympics (human rights and crackdowns in Tibet) and the 2010 South Africa and 2014 Brazil World Cups (financial mismanagement and lack of preparedness).

So, Russia is by no means the first country to be faced with threats of boycotts or being stripped of its hosting rights. But it is something of a standout case, because of the spectrum of its egregious behaviour since being awarded the World Cup (and 2014 Winter Olympics). What’s remarkable is that Russia has stains on its record both in and outside the sporting world.

Inside sport, Russia is most notorious for its wide-ranging state-sponsored doping programme, which included swapping positive-testing urine samples for negative ones through a "mouse hole" in the wall of the anti-doping laboratory at the 2014 Sochi Games. Russian athletes were subsequently banned from flying their national flag and competing under the Team Russia name at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

For foreign football fans visiting Russia, there are additional concerns over hooliganism and the "racism, nationalism, homophobia and sexism" that has been well-documented in Russian football.

FIFA's culture of money and influence

Russia, of course, has furiously denied everything, making much-outraged noise while pointing out the hypocrisy of its most vocal detractors. The latter reaction has some legitimacy – Russia does not have a monopoly on external aggression, calculated corruption and internal repression.

And although the process by which Russia and Qatar won their World Cup bids was undeniably flawed, there is more than a whiff of hypocrisy among the losers who played their part in the whole charade. Few of the bidding countries for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments came out of American prosecutor Michael Garcia's lengthy but imperfect investigation of the decisions unscathed. This includes Australia, which burned a cool $AU45 million of public money on a futile attempt to work its levers of access and persuasion.

But Russia's sheer effrontery in recent years makes it an especially conspicuous target for those wondering what it would take for a country to be barred from hosting the world's largest sports party on ethical grounds.

That it hasn't been stripped of the World Cup says much about global sport's intensely commercial and political imperatives. Nothing exemplifies this state of affairs more than the emergence of FIFA as a machine of money, influence and subterfuge under the presidencies of João Havelange and Sepp Blatter from 1974 to 2015.

FIFA’s moment of truth came with the arrests of a coterie of top officials at its 2015 Zurich congress – a very different image of the organisation than the one propagated in FIFA's absurdly self-aggrandising 2014 docudrama film United Passions.

Blatter and many of his associates have since been swept away. But there's been little appetite for voiding the controversial Russia and Qatar victories and re-opening the bidding process, despite the efforts of politicians like former British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Nor have there been realistic calls for team boycotts of the 2018 World Cup. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop briefly flagged the idea of a World Cup-related action against Russia but said a boycott was not under consideration. So far only a few countries have confirmed boycotts by dignitaries, such as the UK, Poland and Iceland.

New standards for selecting hosts

Has FIFA reformed itself sufficiently under new President Gianni Infantino to ensure that a country like Russia will never again be rewarded after fuelling so much international condemnation with its actions?

We may soon get an idea. On June 13, the day before the opening match, the 68th FIFA Congress meets in Moscow to decide the 2026 World Cup host. There are new rules in place, including a more stringent bid appraisal process and an open ballot of all FIFA member associations.

There are only two bids for 2026 – Morocco and a North American joint bid submitted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. The former has its own human rights issues, while the latter has US President Donald Trump's proposed travel bans and implied threats to countries who do not support the bid.

Will the new process result in a fair, transparent outcome? Not according to Bonita Mersiades, the whistle-blowing former head of corporate and public affairs at Football Federation Australia and author of Whatever It Takes: The Inside Story of the FIFA Way, and her fellow campaigners at the reform advocacy group New FIFA Now.

New FIFA Now and the recently formed Foundation for Sports Integrity argue that a new FIFA governance model under the control of fans and players is required. Among New FIFA Now's guiding principles for FIFA reform is this recommendation on selecting future hosts:

Establish a one-off committee of relevant experts from around the world to investigate and recommend the staging of future men's World Cup tournaments. The objective would be to ameliorate the World Cup as a vehicle for geopolitical soft power and brand building of nation states, as well as the construction of 'white elephants' and the demands of government guarantees made by FIFA to host nations that compromise and jeopardise international and domestic law.

Reformist proposals like these are gaining traction as part of widespread push-back against the excessive demands and massive costs of hosting mega sports events. The questions posed by Russia's winning bid should only add to the calls for change.

It's expected that over 3 billion people will catch at least some of this year's World Cup over the next month. Let's hope they look beyond the spectacle to ponder how the beautiful game made its way to Russia at this point in its history and whether it was worth the ethical price.

David Rowe is an Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University.

(This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com/id">The Conversation</a>. Read the original <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-russia-worthy-of-hosting-the-world-cup-96917">article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

For foreign football fans visiting Russia, there are additional concerns over hooliganism and the 'racism, nationalism, homophobia and sexism' that has been well-documented in Russian football

By: David Rowe* With the FIFA World Cup just days away, I have been chatting with people on my travels through central and northern Europe to gauge their opinions about Russia being the host. Several people have simply sighed, resigned to the fact that nefarious FIFA politics won the day. One Prague taxi driver, remembering the Soviet-led invasion of his country in 1968, hated the idea, but another Czech shrugged and said that most people, especially those too young to remember the Communist rule, would just focus on the football. Indeed, many football fans will be thinking only of stoppage-time goals, dubious penalties and defence-splitting passes when the tournament kicks off on Thursday. But it’s also worth reflecting on Russia and the ethics of selecting hosts for major events in today’s commercially driven and politicised sports world. The case against Russia Every time there is a contest to host a World Cup or Olympics, debate ensues about the criteria for selection. These include technical matters like the economic and infrastructural capacity to stage a massive spectacle, and an overarching belief in spreading sports like football to new corners of the world. But non-sporting matters also come into consideration. Organisers always consider the potential that awarding hosting rights to the wrong country could bring a major sporting event into disrepute. Cases have been made against a string of host cities and countries over the years. These include the 1978 Argentina World Cup (military coup), the 1968 Mexico City and 1988 Seoul Olympics (popular demonstrations and violence), the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics (bribery), the 2008 Beijing Olympics (human rights and crackdowns in Tibet) and the 2010 South Africa and 2014 Brazil World Cups (financial mismanagement and lack of preparedness). So, Russia is by no means the first country to be faced with threats of boycotts or being stripped of its hosting rights. But it is something of a standout case, because of the spectrum of its egregious behaviour since being awarded the World Cup (and 2014 Winter Olympics). What’s remarkable is that Russia has stains on its record both in and outside the sporting world. Inside sport, Russia is most notorious for its wide-ranging state-sponsored doping programme, which included swapping positive-testing urine samples for negative ones through a "mouse hole" in the wall of the anti-doping laboratory at the 2014 Sochi Games. Russian athletes were subsequently banned from flying their national flag and competing under the Team Russia name at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics. For foreign football fans visiting Russia, there are additional concerns over hooliganism and the "racism, nationalism, homophobia and sexism" that has been well-documented in Russian football. FIFA's culture of money and influence Russia, of course, has furiously denied everything, making much-outraged noise while pointing out the hypocrisy of its most vocal detractors. The latter reaction has some legitimacy – Russia does not have a monopoly on external aggression, calculated corruption and internal repression. And although the process by which Russia and Qatar won their World Cup bids was undeniably flawed, there is more than a whiff of hypocrisy among the losers who played their part in the whole charade. Few of the bidding countries for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments came out of American prosecutor Michael Garcia's lengthy but imperfect investigation of the decisions unscathed. This includes Australia, which burned a cool $AU45 million of public money on a futile attempt to work its levers of access and persuasion. But Russia's sheer effrontery in recent years makes it an especially conspicuous target for those wondering what it would take for a country to be barred from hosting the world's largest sports party on ethical grounds. That it hasn't been stripped of the World Cup says much about global sport's intensely commercial and political imperatives. Nothing exemplifies this state of affairs more than the emergence of FIFA as a machine of money, influence and subterfuge under the presidencies of João Havelange and Sepp Blatter from 1974 to 2015. FIFA’s moment of truth came with the arrests of a coterie of top officials at its 2015 Zurich congress – a very different image of the organisation than the one propagated in FIFA's absurdly self-aggrandising 2014 docudrama film United Passions. Blatter and many of his associates have since been swept away. But there's been little appetite for voiding the controversial Russia and Qatar victories and re-opening the bidding process, despite the efforts of politicians like former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Nor have there been realistic calls for team boycotts of the 2018 World Cup. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop briefly flagged the idea of a World Cup-related action against Russia but said a boycott was not under consideration. So far only a few countries have confirmed boycotts by dignitaries, such as the UK, Poland and Iceland. New standards for selecting hosts Has FIFA reformed itself sufficiently under new President Gianni Infantino to ensure that a country like Russia will never again be rewarded after fuelling so much international condemnation with its actions? We may soon get an idea. On June 13, the day before the opening match, the 68th FIFA Congress meets in Moscow to decide the 2026 World Cup host. There are new rules in place, including a more stringent bid appraisal process and an open ballot of all FIFA member associations. There are only two bids for 2026 – Morocco and a North American joint bid submitted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. The former has its own human rights issues, while the latter has US President Donald Trump's proposed travel bans and implied threats to countries who do not support the bid. Will the new process result in a fair, transparent outcome? Not according to Bonita Mersiades, the whistle-blowing former head of corporate and public affairs at Football Federation Australia and author of Whatever It Takes: The Inside Story of the FIFA Way, and her fellow campaigners at the reform advocacy group New FIFA Now. New FIFA Now and the recently formed Foundation for Sports Integrity argue that a new FIFA governance model under the control of fans and players is required. Among New FIFA Now's guiding principles for FIFA reform is this recommendation on selecting future hosts: Establish a one-off committee of relevant experts from around the world to investigate and recommend the staging of future men's World Cup tournaments. The objective would be to ameliorate the World Cup as a vehicle for geopolitical soft power and brand building of nation states, as well as the construction of 'white elephants' and the demands of government guarantees made by FIFA to host nations that compromise and jeopardise international and domestic law. Reformist proposals like these are gaining traction as part of widespread push-back against the excessive demands and massive costs of hosting mega sports events. The questions posed by Russia's winning bid should only add to the calls for change. It's expected that over 3 billion people will catch at least some of this year's World Cup over the next month. Let's hope they look beyond the spectacle to ponder how the beautiful game made its way to Russia at this point in its history and whether it was worth the ethical price. David Rowe is an Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University. (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Is Russia worthy of hosting the football World Cup?