莫斯科——本周四，俄罗斯总统普京试图把国际足球管理机构新爆发的腐败丑闻，变成俄罗斯和西方的对抗的一个延伸。他指责美国在国际上越权行事，并提到了爱德华·J·斯诺登(Edward J. Snowden)和维基解密(WikiLeaks)创始人朱利安·阿桑奇(Julian Assange)的命运。
MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin sought to transform the burgeoning scandal over corruption in soccer's international governing body into an extension of the confrontation between Russia and the West on Thursday, accusing the United States of global overreach while invoking the fates of Edward J. Snowden and Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder.
世界各国的大多数领导人都保持沉默，似乎是在等待更多的细节浮出水面，但普京立即发难，利用这个时机再次将俄罗斯形容为四面受敌——这一次，是有可能丧失2018年世界杯的主办权，令其颜面扫地。但外界认为这其实不太可能。
Most world leaders remained mum, apparently waiting for more details to emerge, but Putin went on the offensive immediately. He used the moment to again portray Russia as under siege — in this case threatened with the humiliating loss of the right to host the 2018 World Cup, a move considered unlikely.
普京称，国际足联高官本周三在瑞士苏黎世被逮捕，是“美国对再一次把司法管辖权扩大到其他国家的公然尝试，”克里姆林宫网站上张贴的隔夜新闻发布会记录显示。
Putin called the arrests of top FIFA officials in Zurich, Switzerland, on Wednesday “another blatant attempt by the United States to extend its jurisdiction to other states,” according to a transcript of an overnight news conference posted on the Kremlin website.
普京还为国际足联主席、瑞士人赛普‧布拉特(Sepp Blatter)做了辩护，而这可能是对布拉特的一个重大支持。虽然发生了丑闻，布拉特仍努力争取在本周五举行的投票选举中保住主席位置。他并不在被捕的足协官员之列。
Putin also defended Sepp Blatter, the Swiss president of the organization, probably an important endorsement as he battles to retain the presidency in a vote scheduled for Friday amid the scandal. He was not among the soccer officials arrested.
分析师认为，普京用国际足联的丑闻来与西方对抗有两个原因。
Analysts saw various reasons for Putin to turn the FIFA scandal into a confrontation with the West.
首先，一个明显的可能是，克里姆林宫担心这起丑闻将导致俄罗斯丧失2018年世界杯主办权。
First, there is the distinct possibility that the Kremlin worries that the fallout from the scandal will cost Russia the right to host the 2018 World Cup.
政府的统计数据显示，俄罗斯预计将花费115亿美元修建新场馆和其他基础设施，一些项目已经启动。在过去，这种利润可观的合同经常落入克里姆林宫宠信的人手中。
Russia is expected to spend $11.5 billion on new stadiums and other infrastructure projects that have already started, according to government statistics. In the past, such lucrative contracts often went to Kremlin favorites.
其次，普京从不错过把俄罗斯形容为遭受围攻的机会，以激发人们从前冷战时的恐惧，而国际足联丑闻与这个策略相吻合。
Second, Putin never misses an opportunity to portray Russia as under siege, playing on old Cold War fears, and the FIFA scandal dovetailed with that.
俄罗斯官方媒体马上附和普京的观点，俄罗斯24电视台(Rossiya24)的一则报道讽刺地说，美国和国际足联事务相隔遥远，因为它基本上就不玩其他国家所说的足球。
The state-run media immediately chimed in to echo Putin's comments, with a report on Rossiya 24 noting sarcastically that the United States was remote from the general affairs of FIFA because it did not even play what the rest of the world calls football.