Putin gives soccer fans visa-free Russia entry to end-2018

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said that foreign visitors holding "fan ID" cards for the World Cup could have visa-free entry to Russia for the rest of 2018, news agencies reported.

"Foreign fans who currently have fan IDs we will multi-entry visa-free travel entries into the Russian Federation until the end of the year," agencies quoted Putin as saying after France´s victory over Croatia in the World Cup final in Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia could be "proud" of its hosting of the football World Cup, judging it a success "in every respect" after Sunday´s final.

"We can surely be proud of how we organised this tournament," Putin said in televised comments after France´s victory against Croatia.

"We have made this grand event a success in every respect," he added.