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Soccer fans thought they might be able to get rid of him, but banned and shamed former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, the man who caused a massive overhaul in FIFA due to corruption, including bribery, is set to attend the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The Switzerland native is expected to fly to Moscow and serve as a guest of Russia president Vladimir Putin for two matches, his spokesman told ESPN Brazil.

Putin will be at Portugal vs. Morocco on Wednesday and then Brazil vs. Costa Rica on Friday.

Blatter was handed an eight-year ban from the sport, stemming from an unauthorized payment of $2 million to former UEFA president Michel Platini. Platini is also banned by FIFA. 

Having Blatter at a World Cup game in Russia is obviously a bad look for FIFA, especially if he is defying his ban. Current president Gianni Infantino, who took over for Blatter in 2016 with help by the backing of UEFA, Europe's governing body, promised sweeping changes to clean up the sport and prevent future corruption scandals.

For what it's worth, Putin watched the opening game with Infantino, and now, for some odd reason, it is Blatter's turn.  It'll be interesting to see how Infantino responds to Blatter's defiance.

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