Kremlin says ex-FIFA boss Blatter is in Russia on a private visit

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Banned FIFA president Sepp Blatter is on a private visit to Russia and any meetings he plans while he is here will be held in a private and non-official capacity, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

(Reuters)

Blatter arrived in Moscow on Tuesday to attend the soccer World Cup, posing for selfies with fans in a hotel lobby before a meeting his spokesman said is scheduled for Wednesday with President Vladimir Putin.

"Any meetings that could be held are being realised in the framework of his private visit and are not official," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call when asked if Blatter has met or would meet Putin.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Polina Devitt)