Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the United States on Thursday for its corruption indictment against officials from football's governing body, calling the case an attempt to spread its jurisdiction to other countries.
Mr. Putin said in televised comments that the U.S. is also trying to prevent the reelection of FIFA President Sepp Blatter. That vote is due to happen Friday with Blatter facing one opponent in his bid to win a fifth term.
Russia is hosting the next edition of FIFA's premier event, the World Cup, in 2018.
Mr. Putin's comments follow a similar message from Russia's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, which called the case an "illegal extraterritorial application of American law."
There was no immediate U.S. reaction to Mr. Putin's remarks.
The awarding of the 2018 games to Russia is part of a Swiss investigation into allegations of mismanagement and money laundering.