Russian passport in hand, Depardieu heads to Switzerland

ZURICH: French actor Gerard Depardieu, fresh from a rapturous welcome in Russia, on Monday flew to Switzerland to attend one of football’s top award ceremonies, the Ballon D’Or.

A day after receiving a Russian passport, having vowed to quit France over a tax row, Depardieu was to attend the event on Monday evening, FIFA spokesman Alex Stone confirmed. Depardieu flew out of the central Russian region of Mordovia Sunday evening, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the office of the governor.

During his visit to the region’s capital of Saransk, he was greeted by folk dancers and handed traditional blini pancakes, as the governor invited him to set up home in the region, best known for its network of prison camps.

Russian television showed him waving his new red passport after being granted citizenship by President Vladimir Putin, who has called the actor a close friend.

Putin also enjoys good relations with FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Russia is to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 after a campaign that was led by Putin himself. Depardieu is an avid football fan who was a goalkeeper for Chateauroux in his youth and remains a fervent supporter of the Auxerre team.

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