Russia plans to strengthen 2018 World Cup security in the wake of Paris attacks

Photo credit: AFP.

Security at the 2018 World Cup will be strengthened following this month’s attacks in Paris, Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko (above) promised on Tuesday. The vow came after the organizing committee met with inspectors from FIFA.

“We discussed the problems of security in detail,” Mutko, who is also the head of the 2018 World Cup organizing committee, told reporters after the meeting.

“The security plan has already been approved. Taking into consideration the situation in the world, security measures will be intensified.”

The minister said security at the World Cup construction sites had already been tightened. He added that the fan zones at the 2017 Confederation Cup and the World Cup will be at the center of the security forces’ attention.

Mutko said recommendations for security measures across Europe would be discussed shortly.

“It’s very important to apply these measures not just in a single country but everywhere,” Mutko said.

The Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, which included an assault by suicide bombers outside the Stade de France during a France-Germany friendly, killed 130 people and left hundreds injured.