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The meeting took place at the Bor Recreation Centre, which is the site of the training camp of the Russian football team that is preparing for the world championship in Japan.

The President watched a training session before being photographed with the players.

Mr Putin then had a meeting with head of the Russian Olympic Committee Leonid Tyagachev, chairman of the State Sport Committee Vyacheslav Fetisov, head of the Russian Football Union Vyacheslav Koloskov and head coach of the Russian football team Oleg Romantsev.

President Putin met with the players on the Russian football and ice hockey teams. Football and ice-hockey attract the biggest crowds and they are popular sports, the President stressed. He said that for the Russian athletes in any sport there were no authorities who would make “their knees tremble”. He said he had faith in the success of the Russian football players at the world championship and wished them luck.

The President thanked the ice hockey team for their good performance at the Olympiad and the World Championship. He said the second place in the World Championship was a very good result.

The sportsmen presented Mr Putin with souvenirs. The ice hockey team gave him a hockey stick autographed by the whole team. And the football team gave him a ball signed by all the team’s members and a jersey with number 7.