"Many people expected a huge number of incidents but the emotional setting of the tournament is good, there are only positive vibes. We've all made this happen: the organizing committee, the police and Russian and foreign fans themselves. We've all helped reduce the number of these incidents to almost zero considering the huge number of fans at the World Cup. I congratulate all of us on this, it's a good result of our work," Smertin said.

Commenting on the fine of 10,000 Swiss francs (AUD $13,700), handed to Russia by FIFA after a group of fans displayed a discriminatory banner during a World Cup match, Smertin said that it was impossible to eradicate such incidents but "our task is to bring them down to a minimum."