Hi, I'm Grant Wall, and welcome to the Planet Football Podcast, where I go in-depth with the most intriguing people in the world of soccer.

Just a quick reminder, it's a huge help if you subscribe rate and review the podcast in this

episode I'm joined by Gary Kasparov the Russian former world chess

champion and critic of Vladimir Putin who answers the question,

should we feel conflicted about being excited to watch a World Cup from Russia?

Then I speak to Mark Noonan, a former MLS Vice President who recently moved from Connecticut to Ghana

to become the CEO of that country's most storied club, Accra Hearts of Oak.

Onward!

Our guest today is Gary Kasparov.

He's the Russian former world chess champion and human rights advocate

who is also a staunch critic of Vladimir Putin.

Gary, thank you so much for joining me.

Thanks for inviting me.

So there's a lot to talk about with the World Cup starting in Russia and I want to start off just by diving right in.

There's been so many things that have been involving Russia in recent years, Russian interference in the US election, stories of human rights

abuses in Russia, Russian journalists critical of Putin are dying and

mysterious circumstances.

If you're a soccer fan like me,

I always get very excited right before the start of a World Cup,

but should we feel conflicted at all about being excited to watch a World Cup from Russia?

Yeah, I would add to the list of Putin's crimes is also invasion of the neighboring country, annexation of Crimea,

as a part of this part of Ukraine, and support, staunch support for Bashar al-Assad, one of the worst criminals, carpet bombing of Syrian cities and use of chemical weapons.

...