Former England striker and broadcaster Gary Lineker has revealed that he invented a work-related excuse to avoid meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 2018 FIFA World Cup draw ceremony in Moscow, where he co-hosted the event in December 2017. Speaking on the podcast "The Rest is Football," Lineker said organisers asked him to meet Putin inside the Kremlin, but he declined by claiming he was too busy preparing his hosting script. The incident, he said, reinforced a deliberate decision he has maintained for years to distance himself from FIFA, whose governance he has repeatedly criticised — including calling it "absurd" for any single person to hold the presidency for multiple consecutive terms, a pointed remark directed at incumbent Gianni Infantino ahead of the federation's 2027 elections.