VLADIMIR PUTIN stood happily under an umbrella while the French and Croatian leaders stood next to him getting drenched following the World Cup final. The Russian president ensured he was prepared for the weather while handing the trophy to France following their 4-2 victory. France celebrate winning the World Cup and give Didier Deschamps the bumps after beating Croatia in the final 4 Vladimir Putin came prepared while Gianni Infantino, left, and Emmanuel Macron, right, got soaked Credit: Getty Images - Getty 4 Croatia's prime minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, right, also ended up in the downpour Credit: BBC But French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and Croatia's prime minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic got drenched on the field. Fortunately the duo did not seem to mind as Macron celebrated wildly and Grabar-Kitarovic remained magnanimous in defeat and even snatched a smooch with the trophy. Fifa later brought out umbrellas but caused controversy as its president Infantino was handed a brolly but the women wearing Qatar Airways uniforms were ignored. Twitter users were quick to spot Putin standing proudly as a suited man kept him dry while watching his associates get soaked. France lift the World Cup trophy after beating Croatia in the 2018 final Putin gets an umbrella. Beautiful presidents of Croatia and France get soaked! — Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) July 15, 2018 Only Putin gets an umbrella. 😂😂😂😂 So Macron and Kolinda can stay wet. #WorldCupFinal pic.twitter.com/y6PjVbSec3 — Omo Ojeomogha (@OmoFizzy) July 15, 2018 Je suis mort Poutine c'est le seul qui a le droit à un parapluie 😁 #FRACRO pic.twitter.com/nRyO07Kf1K — Celeborn (@CelebornLegend) July 15, 2018 Howling over the image of Putin stoic and under an umbrella while we have Macron and Grabar-Kitarović standing in the rain happy, smiley, teary, totally soaked and hugging each and every single player #WorldCupFinal — LillaMay (@LillaMay) July 15, 2018 “Should we get Croatia’s President an umbrella, President Putin?” Putin: “No. Women are tough.” — møbbdë3ń (@Deen8) July 15, 2018 Quand tu as rien fait au TPE mais que tu as quand même une bonne note 😂 #FRACRO #Championdumonde pic.twitter.com/q2OvxegTVZ — Torlk (@ArmaTorlk) July 15, 2018 Naked French fan climbs on news stand as thousands party on the Champs Elysees after World Cup win Most Read in World Cup NO HARD FEELINGS Man dumped by Gareth Southgate's wife insists he holds no grudge 'i want a girl' England star Kyle Walker's model girlfriend reveals she wants FOURTH baby 4 Fifa probably should have seen ahead and had brollies ready but everybody was in high spirits anyway Credit: BBC 4 Umbrellas eventually made their way onto the stage but not everybody got one Credit: Reuters A Mario Mandzukic own-goal got the French off to a flier but Ivan Perisic pulled Croatia level after 28 minutes. Antoine Griezmann restored the lead with a controversial penalty before Paul Pogba and Mbappe struck within six minutes of each other. Mandzukic capitalised on a Hugo Lloris' mistake to give his side hope with 21 minutes to play but France held on for their second World Cup triumph, 20 years after their first.<doc-sep>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday handed over the mantle of World Cup host to the emir of Qatar, whose country will stage the 2022 edition of the tournament. Slideshow ( 4 images ) The ceremony marked a handover from the world’s largest country by landmass to one of the smallest. Qatar has a population of 2.3 million people and an area slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Connecticut. Qatar’s size, as well as its broiling temperatures and its lack of ready stadium infra-structure, have prompted some to question the decision by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, to make it host. Qatar’s rulers say they will rise to the challenge. With hours to go until the final between France and Croatia that will bring down the curtain on Russia’s hosting of this year’s tournament, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani joined Putin and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino at a Kremlin ceremony. “Russia is handing over the relay baton for hosting the FIFA World Cup to Qatar,” Putin said. “We are proud of what we did for fans of this wonderful sport. We ourselves, the whole country, got an enormous amount of pleasure from interacting with soccer, with the world of soccer, with the fans who came here from all over the globe.” PASSING THE BALL “I’m sure that our friends from Qatar will be able to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the same high level. We are, of course, ready to share the experience we acquired in holding the World Cup this year, along with our friends,” Putin said. At the climax of the ceremony, Putin handed an official World Cup ball to Infantino, who then handed it on to the emir. The Qatari emir said his country would apply all its efforts to making a success of the 2022 World Cup. “We hope to overcome all the difficulties,” he said. He said his country would also try to outdo the success on the pitch of the Russian team, who surpassed expectations by reaching the quarter-finals. “Although it will be hard to repeat that success as we’re a small country, but we are very keen on sport,” he said. In the build-up to this year’s World Cup, some Western politicians called for a boycott over Russia’s annexation of Crimea and over allegations, denied by Moscow, that the Kremlin assassinates its opponents overseas. There were also warnings from some campaign groups about the potential for hooligan violence, racist attacks and homophobia. The tournament proceeded without any significant organizational hitches, there was no violence, and no widespread evidence of racism or harassment of gay visitors.<doc-sep>
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Vladimir Putin gifted Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic a bouquet of flowers, and in return, she presented the Russian President with her national team football shirt with Putin's name printed on the back, a Sputnik correspondent reported. Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic thanked her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for preventing any hateful statements during the 2018 FIFA World Cup and gifted the Russian president Croatia's football shirt with 'Putin' and the number 9 printed on the back. "This World Cup is a real example for the rest of the world of how such tournaments should be organized. For not only did you provided free transportation for fans but also prevented any cases, any statements of hatred. It's a real example for the whole world," Grabar-Kitarovic said during the meeting with the Russian President in the Kremlin. READ MORE: FIFA Head Infantino Says Everyone Fell in Love With Russia During 2018 World Cup After Croatia beat Russia 4-3 on penalties in the World Cup quarter-finals on July 7, a video appeared on social media showing Croatia defender Domagoj Vida chanting "Glory to Ukraine!" and coaching assistant Ognjen Vukojevic saying "This is a victory for Dynamo [Kiev] and Ukraine." Both Vida and Vukojevic played for Ukrainian Premier League club Dynamo Kiev. Vukojevic was suspended from his duties at the World Cup by the Croatian Football Federation and fined $15,000 for unsporting behavior by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, while Vida was handed a warning, avoiding a ban that would rule him out of the rest of the World Cup. On Monday, a fresh video showing Vida saying "Glory to Ukraine!" was posted online. Both Vida and the Croatian Football Federation later apologized for his statement. Croatia, who claimed the third place at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, will take the winners of that tournament, France, in the final, which will be played at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium later on Sunday at 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT).