Neither political tensions nor the threat of terrorism have spoiled the celebratory atmosphere of the 2018 World Cup. Russia strives to show a friendly, tolerant and open face to millions of people from all over the world.
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·5 minutes read
MOSCOW, KOMPAS – The latest World Cup is not without its share of surprises. The 0–1 loss of defending champion Germany to Mexico was the biggest surprise thus far – just three days after the Tellstar 18 ball was kicked for the first time in the opening match between host Russia and Saudi Arabia on June 14.
The event also allows Russia to open itself and embrace the world. “Russians in general love soccer. We are an open and friendly country, where guests from all over the world can meet new friends,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin at the World Cup opening ceremony.
Putin’s statement was proven by the jam-packed Luzhniki Stadium during the opening match. Other than Russian and Saudi Arabian soccer fans, the 78,000 spectators included Mexicans, Peruvians, Colombians, Americans and Chinese. They mingled with one another as they witnessed the start of this year’s World Cup.
“We are glad that we can be here to be part of history,” said Edward Olarte, 44, from the United States. The soccer fan said he had disregarded his government’s warning on terror threats, especially from the Islamic State group, during the World Cup in Russia.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has issued a similar warning. Through its online channels, the Islamic State terror group had threatened attacks on soccer fans and players in Russia in retaliation for the country’s military operations in Syria.
However, that threat proved no match for soccer fans’ fervor in supporting their national teams in Russia. Tens of thousands of fans gathered around the Kremlin, the seat of the Russian government, for selfies and soccer chants on Friday (15/6) night. At least 500,000 fans from around the world mingled with Russian fans in 11 host cities. The US is the main country of origin of World Cup fans, with 88,825 Americans currently in Russia. China, Colombia and Mexico are the three next largest contributors. Fans from debutant countries, such as Iceland, are also easy to find in Moscow.
Tension
Most of the soccer fans paid little attention to tensions between Russia and Western countries caused by the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, which led to economic sanctions against Russia. The situation became increasingly tense after the murder attempt on former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the United Kingdom, which some Western governments have blamed on Russia. The UK and a number of other Western countries have expelled Russian diplomats from their countries, and Russia has retaliated with similar actions.
The situation, which reflects the worst level of relations between Russia and the West since the Cold War, was also reflected at the VVIP tribune in the Luzhniki Stadium during the opening event. No heads of state or government representatives of Western European countries were present during the opening event.
However, the tension was unseen during the matches. “Before I came here, I was worried. However, all the worries went away after I arrived here. Russians are friendly. It is not as bad as I imagined,” said British traveler David.
Unsurprisingly, hotels and other types of accommodation in a number of cities were busy with guests. Bars and cafés around Red Square in Moscow were packed with foreigners. A number of cafés provided big-screen TVs to cater to soccer fans without tickets. “Between June 16 and 22, all rooms at hotels, apartments and dorms in Moscow are booked out. Nothing is left,” said Muscovite Olga Anders, who let out her apartment during the World Cup.
Euphoria was also palpable in Sochi, some 1,600 kilometers away from Moscow. The city by the Black Sea was flooded with Spanish and Portuguese supporters on Friday. Saint Petersburg resident Victor opened a hamburger stall on the city’s beautiful beach. “I am happy that our city hosts the World Cup. [Travelers] come not only to enjoy the beach but also the soccer,” Victor said.
The Russian government has disbursed 678 billion rubles (US$10.8 billion) to host the sports event. More than half of the money was used to fix transportation infrastructure and revamp airports and train stations.
The preparatory work, which began in 2013, has created more than 100,000 jobs, including in construction. International credit rating agency Moody’s has estimated that the World Cup contributes $30.8 billion to Russia’s gross domestic product from 2013 to 2023.
Lozano’s goal
On the field, German coach Joachim Löw’s concern about Mexico’s attacking midfielder Hirving Lozano proved spot on as the teams met at Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday. In the first appearance for both Germany and Mexico at this World Cup, Lozano scored the only goal of the match at minute 35.
Lozano’s goal was a strike against Germany’s clean record of no defeats in World Cup first matches as defending champion. The 1–0 win for Mexico also reaffirmed the curse of World Cup defending champions being beaten in the next World Cup’s first match. This has occurred in the three latest World Cups, including to Italy in 2010 and Spain in 2014.