Mutko, a member of FIFA's ruling Council, had suggested work at the Samara Stadium had completely ground to a halt due to a financial dispute with the construction company.

A statement from Russia 2018 confirmed they were looking to replace the contractor, PSO Kazan, as a result of the issue, with organisers insisting the venue would be ready in time to host the tournament.

Building work at the Kaliningrad Stadium has also hit a stumbling block, with concerns about the suitability of the land surrounding the venue.

Sorokin revealed here that a special commission would be set up to combat the problem of "excessive water", though he believes the issue is a mere "technical difficulty" and says it is not a major fear for Russia 2018.

"We are not alarmed by this and construction has not stopped," he said at the 2017 Confederations Cup event here, while vowing to deliver on the promised completion dates for all venues.

"We are not late - we have a lot of infrastructure to build that is true.

"Construction is going on steadily.

"It may appear [there are] certain technical difficulties but when you have construction of such magnitude there might be occasional technical issues."

FIFA director of competitions Colin Smith admitted there are construction sites which world football's governing body are monitoring "more closely" than others.

He confirmed two of these were in Samara and Kaliningrad.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino declared he was happy with the state of progress in Russia ollowing an official visit to the nation to inspect preparations last month though he stressed there was "a lot to be done", a view which was echoed by Sorokin.

Russia 2018 suffered a further blow last month when the delivery date of the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi was pushed back by five months.

The venue which will have a capacity of over 47,000 for the competition, is also scheduled to stage matches at next year’s Confederations Cup - an eight-team tournament comprised of the host nation, the current World Cup holders plus the six continental champions.

There had also been suggestions that matches at the Confederations Cup may be taken away from Saint Petersburg, which is due to be the main hub of the World Cup warm-up event, because of construction concerns.

Plans for the venue have constantly been altered since building work began in 2007.

It is due to have a capacity of 69,000 and feature a retractable roof and removable football pitch, according to organisers.