Russia says TV deal for World Cup still far off

Russia says it is far from reaching a deal with FIFA on TV broadcast rights for next year's World Cup.

With the tournament a year away, there is still no agreement in place to avoid the embarrassing situation of games not being shown in the host nation. FIFA usually signs deals several years before major events.

Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko says FIFA wants $110 million from Russian TV channels, but they can only afford to pay $38-$40 million, in comments reported by Russian state news agencies.

Mutko has previously accused FIFA of trying to force the Russian government to contribute.

A TV deal for the Confederations Cup test event was only reached last month, six days before the opening game. No financial details were made public.