Vladimir Putin thinks Sepp Blatter deserves a Nobel Prize

If anyone deserves a Nobel Prize, it's embattled FIFA president Sepp Blatter. At least that's what Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks.

"I think people like Mr. Blatter or the heads of big international sporting federations, or the Olympic Games, deserve special recognition," Putin reportedly said in an interview that Swiss public broadcaster RTS aired Monday, Reuters reports. "If there is anyone who deserves the Nobel Prize, it's those people."

Blatter announced he'll step down from the helm of soccer's governing body after the U.S. indicted several of the organization's top officials on charges of corruption in May.

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Blatter has maintained he has no personal connection to the corruption, a claim Putin has said he backs. The two buddies hung out Saturday in St. Petersburg, where Blatter said FIFA fully supports Russia holding the 2018 World Cup. Take note everyone, this is what true friendship looks like. Julie Kliegman