FIFA president Gianni Infantino ‘not concerned’ about hooligan threat at Russia 2018 World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino says he is “not at all concerned” by the threat of hooliganism at next year’s World Cup in Russia.

At Euro 2016, there were violent clashes between Russian and English supporters in Marseille.

One Russian fan, speaking as part of a BBC documentary to be broadcast on Thursday, said trouble is “100% guaranteed” at the 2018 World Cup.

Infantino also said the 2026 event could be hosted by multiple countries.

But he said the countries would “ideally” be close to one another for “the ease of travel”.

Football’s world governing body agreed in January on a 48-team World Cup in 2026. The bidding process has not begun yet for the tournament.

“It is perfectly in line with our sustainability and legacy to maybe bring together two, three, four countries who can jointly present a project with three, four, five stadiums each, ” said Infantino, speaking during a visit to Qatar on Thursday.

The next European Championship, to be held in 2020, is being hosted across 13 cities.

Qatar is hosting the 2020 World Cup and is spending  almost $500m (£400m) a week on major infrastructure projects in preparation.

Infantino says he is confident the stadiums and infrastructure will be ready in time, but added “a lot remains to be done”.