I mean, BBC dropped a hooligan hit job on Ukraine/Poland in advance of the Euro. The highlight of which has to be this map.
You have to remember that Russian fans busting up France is very different from Russian fans busting up Russia. The authorities are trying to put on these Olympics, World Cups etc to show their domestic Audience that Russia is amazing and the current regime has made things so great they can host all these things. Hooligans running rampage in Rostov doesn't really fit that image.
If I didn't get robbed in Brazil I doubt ill get beat up by a hooligan in Russia. Either way I'm taking the risk =)
Mutko failed integrity check, barred from running for FIFA executive council: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/mar/10/fifa-council-bars-vitaly-mutko-russia
I did not forget that. I just had a little concern about how the fanatics conducted themselves at the last Euros. And the reason it was a tiny concern and not a big one is because of what you are saying here. You and I are thinking on the same wavelength about the Russian Authorities.
I am still amazed at the lack of messages on this site and others about the 2018 WC. If it continues like this then tickets should be pretty easy to come by. I tend to agree that the Russian government, as with Sochi, will make no expense spared to show the country in a good light. Not sure the Confed . Cup will be any barometer at all as so few foreign fans go. For me I have to go as definitely want nothing to do with Qatar and then it all gets silly with 48 teams playing all over the place. Still FIFA for the good of the game etc.
At first I was kinda upset about the Sochi coverage. Then I got to Sochi and got free tickets to like everything. Was hanging out with the athletes and stuff, doing shots with a guy with his gold medal around his neck. So if you are going to the World Cup next year. Enjoy every single shitty article about this.
Well, what country doesn't use a big event like WC and Olympics (summer or winter) to show itself in a good light... Liberal democracies, dictatorships, authoritarians, moderates and loonies, they all put up a big show and don't want any bad press.
Mutko says Russia is being squeezed for TV cash to make up for FIFA’s financial flop: http://www.insideworldfootball.com/...a-squeezed-tv-cash-make-fifas-financial-flop/
I must say I didn't enjoy the article about the ticket prices. $165 for a category 2 group stage match? And I imagine the hotel prices will be up there as well due to the lack of overall supply. It's going to be one hell of an expensive trip!
Slightly unnoticed by public, FIFA seemed to have changed the rule on the play-offs for european qualifiers. After the draw, there were 2 groups with only 5 teams in. consequently, the play-off spots table were constructed for the runners-up of each group by comparing the 8 matches between the first 5 teams in the groups final standing. however, later FIFA adopted Kosovo and Gibraltar as full members and were filling up the groups H and I and now each group has six contenders. I asked FIFA, if the play-off table will though still feature only the matches among the top five teams of each group. The responded, that the rule has changed and all group matches do now count. Wikipedia has that table, but they count it wrong according to FIFAs answer on my mail. Can anyone confirm?
That would make computing the second-place teams much easier, though. The current second-place standings are GrpTeamTriMPWDLGFGA+/-Pts GItalyITA5410134913 BPortugalPOR54011931612 HGreeceGRE5320103711 DRepublic of IrelandIRL532073411 CNorthern IrelandNIR5311102810 ASwedenSWE5311103710 IIcelandISL531186210 FSlovakiaSVK530210379 EMontenegroMNE521210647
Now, if only some results get considered, I believe that only those among the 4 best teams in each group should count (maybe even those among the 3 best teams, would be lots better yet). By reducing the number of matches to the best teams in each group, you get the benefit of not taking in account those results against dead-rubbers (or only among whom were closer to being 2nd) in each Uefa group, as most groups have 1 or 2 teams that are there, basicly to add up numbers to each group, where most of them don't have almost any chance in going through, and all potentially represent big score goal diferentials, which at the end may appear as decisive in sorting out a potential worst 2nd placed team, whom really shouldn't be deserve such destinity when you compare their results to some others. Uefa has lots of decent teams, but in total they don't count as much as 30-36 teams, while everybody else are mainly dead rubbers, where some groups get one of them in their groups, while others get 2 of them. By not taking in account results against the 2 worst teams in each group, would balance out all groups better, as those teams whom get the benefit oh having 2 dead rubbers in their groups, also get and advantage over those whom only get one dead rubber in their groups.
I agree. The reason for not counting the games against the sixth place teams in groups of six no longer exists. I don't think changing the rules is unfair because I doubt teams would have played differently based on the rules for comparing second place teams for many reasons. One reason is that a team that could win its group will want to beat the bad teams. Another reason is that San Marino always finishes last, but in some groups the last place team won't be determined until September or October, so a second place team could play both games against the last place team before that team clinches last place. Another reason is that only one second place team is eliminated. If the top four second place teams qualified, the bottom five were eliminated, and there weren't playoffs, then second place teams comparing themselves to other second place teams would be a bigger deal.
Moscow St Petersburg and Sochi should be okay since they have plenty of hotel rooms. The other cities which probably had like one or two hotels are going to be iffy. Like in Manaus where they wanted $250 for a hammock
I don't think there will be a lot of problems with getting rooms even in smaller cities like Saransk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Samara. Majority of fans will be based in Moscow or St. Petersburg and will be going to those other cities just for the game and back. I mean, at least it's what I would do. That's why I don't think it will be that busy. Also, they announced prices for the hotels in the host cities, there is a set limit for each city: http://russianblogger.me/hotels-cost-during-the-2018-world-cup-in-russia/ It doesn't sound bad on the paper but will see what happens. I've been to the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and pricing there was reasonable. I don't think it will be different during the World Cup.
Sochi is a major tourist center in Russia though. It has the infrastructure already In place to not be over run. Some place like samara doesn't. I mean it'll be okay. But it'll be like Brazil where we slept in the Manaus airport with like 50 other people because there were no rooms.
I really hope it won't be the case because I would really like to a few games in the smaller cities. Kazan for sure and maybe Nizhniy Novgorod - Nizhniy is very close to Moscow.
Those two won't be the worst. N. Novgorod is the third largest city so worst case you AIrBNB it and Kazan is pretty big and a larger destination.
Can see the English press is gearing up for their bi annual tradition of surprised xenophobia for when a country they don't deem worthy hosts a tournament.