Russian president Vladimir Putin believes FIFA president Sepp Blatter deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing football around the world.
Blatter, who is the target of an ongoing FBI corruption investigation centered on the organisation's decision to hand the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively, is currently suspended from his duties.
But Putin believes the Swiss is deserving of the honour, despite the investigation, per Reuters (for the Guardian):
Whether there are signs of corruption in Fifa, the investigation must show. As for Joseph Blatter, he is a very respected person, he has done a lot for the development of world soccer.