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Not worthy of a thread - 2018 FIFA World Cup edition

OzzieMandias

by OzzieMandias
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Apparently when they made the preliminary list in 2016, the only UK based referee was Clattenberg and when he left he forfeited the right to referee in the World Cup, and FIFA didn't allow the FA to nominate another ref.

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Fedyan

Fedyan

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The new stadium in Yekaterinburg was opened this past weekend, nice reviews and all, but considering that the locals have a ton of other things to do during (still) cold weekend, it wasn't a sellout. The fact that the curtain-raiser was a match between two meh-ish teams did not help, but a decent turnout for a hockey city. In one of those charming, globally recognized "we need more building sites for a sports team cos big league status" stories this ground was already completely revamped several years ago, but then they closed it down and rebuilt it from scratch again :lol: I am sure, no brown envelopes changed hands and nobody is roasting his arse somewhere in Nice, toasting for the World Cup. The fact that the weird stands behind goals are copied from familiar stadiums in Brazil and South Korea is monumental - doing this in the coldest of the host cities must have taken some genius. Or, perhaps, a financial guru :lol:

 

Samara's mayor was desperate to open their stadium with today's cup semifinal fixture against those pesky pigs, but since his testicles and a new term are both on the line, they moved the opening to 25th of April in order to clear up the remaining details and avoid any logistical hiccups. Quite a lot of excitement in the city, a genuine football town. With Krilya Sovetov still potentially capable of both winning our Champo and the Cup (first ever trophy for the club, should they prevail), plenty of buzz all around.

 

Volgograd is ready, and immediately there are reports that a few of the reagion's wealthiest citizens will be politely asked to fund a promotion push next season (they are crap in our equivalent of the Champo this year) since there is little desire to see a brand new stadium become a white elephant of sorts. Cue great stories about some Selyuk type getting a fortune for some unknown African lads, doing a Leeds, etc. But then again, much-loved Rotor FC can boast eliminating ManU from Europe back in the day (iirc Schmeichel actually scored a goal in the return leg of the UEFA Cup fixture, but it wasn't enough). Damn, time flies.

 

Anyhow, just weeks away. Cannae wait :cheesy:

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ElDiablo

ElDiablo

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Got the sticker album over the weekend and only just discovered that Kaliningrad is separate from the rest of Russia, lying between Poland and Lithuania.

 

My old housemate was doing his PHD on it, the history is very interesting.

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Fedyan

Fedyan

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Going to Samara for the last 16. Hoping Cosmos Arena really is as good as they expect it to be.

 

Make sure to visit the local cult bar Na Dne (literally meaning At The Bottom). A genuine all-time classic for anyone visiting Samara for football matters. Some people just go there, buy a barrel of beer, a bucket of crayfish and spend the day at the beach. Freshly-brewed lager, anything that swims in Volga is being smoked or salted on the spot and by all means (time permitting) take a river taxi to Zhiguli mountains. Quite a sight during the summer, although (depending on your age and party animal skill level, can cause severe memory loss, if you catch my drift). The riverside is fabulous when it's warm in May (the last time I went there), but the locals tell me it's just awesome when it's really hot (June/July). Many people fall in love there. Also, the traffic can be a bit mad in the evening (the thing with Samara and Volgograd is that they are basically hugging Volga and are thus kind of like Chile geographically), so use trams. Cheap, fast, cool way to take a look around the city and no cursing while stuck in a traffic jam. Feel free to ask regarding museums/restaraunts/nightlife.

 

 

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Fedyan

Fedyan

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Got the sticker album over the weekend and only just discovered that Kaliningrad is separate from the rest of Russia, lying between Poland and Lithuania.

 

My dad is actually from there, told me quite a few stories from his youth about closed sites where military were deactivating mines and bombs and his impressive bullet shell collection. Never been, but the city now has a reputation for boasting a whole bunch of street food vendors and brewers (aka hipster beer snobs). Also, Immanuel Kant's gravestone is there and one can buy really cool things made of amber.

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Flip

Flip

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Going to Samara for the last 16. Hoping Cosmos Arena really is as good as they expect it to be.

 

Make sure to visit the local cult bar Na Dne (literally meaning At The Bottom). A genuine all-time classic for anyone visiting Samara for football matters. Some people just go there, buy a barrel of beer, a bucket of crayfish and spend the day at the beach. Freshly-brewed lager, anything that swims in Volga is being smoked or salted on the spot and by all means (time permitting) take a river taxi to Zhiguli mountains. Quite a sight during the summer, although (depending on your age and party animal skill level, can cause severe memory loss, if you catch my drift). The riverside is fabulous when it's warm in May (the last time I went there), but the locals tell me it's just awesome when it's really hot (June/July). Many people fall in love there. Also, the traffic can be a bit mad in the evening (the thing with Samara and Volgograd is that they are basically hugging Volga and are thus kind of like Chile geographically), so use trams. Cheap, fast, cool way to take a look around the city and no cursing while stuck in a traffic jam. Feel free to ask regarding museums/restaraunts/nightlife.

 

 

:thup: Thank you, really appreciate it.

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Fedyan

Fedyan

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New stadiums opened in Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-Don and Nizhny Novgorod over the last few days.

 

The first two hosted rather meh-ish league matches, but the reviews are good.

 

Kaliningrad was a big party, but Baltika are risking on missing out on promotion, so the mood is a bit mixed in the city.

 

Rostov was an even bigger party (Deep South, fun people and all that), but some dicks among the local ultras decided to try their best to remove the anti-vandal seats in Rostov, a few succeeded and posted their accomplishments on social media. No doubt, a few surprise visits from da polis await. Other than that, the Icelanders playing for Rostov were visibly impressed.

 

Nizhny had the epitome of a boring, run of the mill second tier match as a curtain raiser, and despite a paltry crowd (crap teams, hockey town, far more people willing to spend their time and money on watching Argentina and all), epic traffic jams ensued. Plenty of whining and complaining locals flooded the social media and talkradio, but the local police chief assured that this was a one-off and  they now have a good idea on how to avoid such congestion in the future. Truth to be told, like any major Russian city, traffic can get a bit crappy from time to time, but the new subway stations will no doubt ease the logistics. Will be in place before the tournament.

 

In other news, just for the fun of it:

 

- a fan of Luch Vladivostok travelled to an away second-tier match against Fakel Voronezh (brilliant name for an English-speaker, I know, literally translates as a Torch) which is a mere 9000 kilometers trip, and threw a toy cockerel in the direction of his side's manager. Oh, the horrors of modern football

 

- a third-tier match between two no-mark clubs was opened with a circus bear dancing a bit and giving the ball to the official. Judging by the attendance, the ecstatic public left right after the furry one, and who could blame them. The bear in question will participate in a few opening ceremonies during the World Cup iirc, so celebrity status awaits

 

- a group of Moscow hipsters and amphetamine enthusiasts (I base this assumption on their many previous "works of art") proudly presented the new Russian Premier League logo. An avalanche of jokes about brain damage caused by severe drug abuse followed. Never trust anyone who thinks that trainers mix with sweaters, neck tattoo and granny glasses any football-related project :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

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Kaizero

Kaizero

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- a group of Moscow hipsters and amphetamine enthusiasts (I base this assumption on their many previous "works of art") proudly presented the new Russian Premier League logo. An avalanche of jokes about brain damage caused by severe drug abuse followed. Never trust anyone who thinks that trainers mix with sweaters, neck tattoo and granny glasses any football-related project :lol:

 

RPL-2018-Logo-2.jpg

RPL-2018-Logo.png

 

That's a pretty nice logo tbh :dontknow: Sexier than the shit lion:

 

http://logok.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Premier-League-logo-2016-640x480.png

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