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Best of luck to any city fans traveling out to Russia


sticks 1969

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There won’t be any trouble. This sort of thing gets blown up out of all proportion before every World Cup. 

4 years ago, there were warnings over being mugged, stabbed, shot, killed or kidnapped in Brazil. 

8 years ago there were scare stories of being shot in South Africa. 

Both went off peacefully. 

This time around, whilst the threat of the big Russian hoolies was very real 2 years ago, it basically just makes a good sensationalist story for the media outlets to have something to present. 

As KITR said earlier, the main hoolies have been instructed, nay ordered, to keep it clean. Nothing will happen. 

In fact, the thing the media (and the government) are most petrified of, is English people going over there, realising what a lovely, cultural, historic and beautiful place it is, how welcoming the people will be, how devastatingly normal the Russians will be, how the cafes restaurants will be busy with good natured camaraderie and quite frankly how utterly ridiculous any thoughts 3 months ago about boycotting were. The government and press don’t want the English to have a great time over there and realise the Russian threat of taking out the world is highly, highly unlikely. 

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On 14/06/2018 at 14:25, One Team In Keynsham said:

I fly Cayman-Miami-London-Dublin-Moscow-Volgograd: probably a longer slog to reach the city than the German Sixth Army faced.

That is an exceptional effort! Couldn’t you have flown from London to Moscow though instead of doing London to Dublin to Moscow?!

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3 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Only 2.5k England fans in Volvograd and tickets still available to buy for the game today. Must be lowest tournament following for many years! Apparently there's going to be more Tunisians there...

From what I can tell, Tunisians outnumber the English 4 to 1.

Though, for completeness, this is based solely on 4 Tunisians standing in the same supermarket queue as me earlier.

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2 minutes ago, One Team In Keynsham said:

From what I can tell, Tunisians outnumber the English 4 to 1.

Though, for completeness, this is based solely on 4 Tunisians standing in the same supermarket queue as me earlier.

Safe to say judging by the followings from European countries so far versus South American that the European fans have turned their back on this tournament.

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1 minute ago, kelbcfc said:

I usually go to the world cup last minute but all the red tape makes it impossible.

I briefly looked into it - could've had free accommodation as got a friend in Moscow but it just seemed too difficult what with visas etc. Not worth the effort imho. 

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9 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Safe to say judging by the followings from European countries so far versus South American that the European fans have turned their back on this tournament.

Thought it looked like the Germans had a decent number yesterday but they generally do I guess. Spain and Portugal don't really travel anyway and then we have Holland and Italy not there with Holland especially always travelling well. Be interesting to see the Swedish and Polish followings today as they usually bring a lot. 

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6 minutes ago, lenred said:

I briefly looked into it - could've had free accommodation as got a friend in Moscow but it just seemed too difficult what with visas etc. Not worth the effort imho. 

The visa thing actually proved to be one of the more simple elements of the trip: a Fan ID passes as a visa at immigration. Only hassle being you need a ticket reference to apply for a Fan ID.

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43 minutes ago, lenred said:

Thought it looked like the Germans had a decent number yesterday but they generally do I guess. Spain and Portugal don't really travel anyway and then we have Holland and Italy not there with Holland especially always travelling well. Be interesting to see the Swedish and Polish followings today as they usually bring a lot. 

Swedes have certainly turned up in force.

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On 14/06/2018 at 13:14, Sniper said:

Not forgetting Sergei's 6' 7" sister Viktoriya who will Nurse Gladys you too death with her big bouncy (slightly hairy) honkers.

Leaf meee alon Meester Bond. Am good giwrl now. Honkas iz no hair.

Spasiba.

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8 hours ago, ZiderEyed said:

Absolute chaos at the BBC as people begin to realise that Russia perhaps wasn't the big scary beast we were all told it was.

Based on my 48 hours in Volgograd the scaremongering could not have been further from the truth. Not that that comes as any surprise based on prior tournaments: I managed to get around South Africa without getting car-jacked or necklaced, and I survived in Rio without getting mugged.

Now have a few days in Nizhny, so will see if any different here.

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Russia does have a high murder rate - linked to alcoholism and poverty - and a high incidence of football-related violence. However Putin wants to show the world an ordered, safe society and that's what you'll get. Petty thieves, ne'er do wells and even prossies have been rounded up and kept away from the areas where tournament goers will congregate and Russian hoolies know a one-way ticket to the salt mines will be their reward if they play up.

As a result visitors should be able to enjoy one of the safest World Cup experiences for many years.

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10 hours ago, ZiderEyed said:

Absolute chaos at the BBC as people begin to realise that Russia perhaps wasn't the big scary beast we were all told it was.

Same every time. Against all odds I made it home from both SA and Brazil. Would have done Russia too if I could afford it. I actually felt safer in Brazil than I do in the city centre! 

They'll find a story somewhere I'm sure...

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Today is day 6 of my Russia trip and I haven’t seen any hint of trouble. Everyone seems to be having a great time here and the organisation has been excellent. Hopefully it stays that way and hopefully I’m not speaking too soon, but once again the scare stories we all heard before the tournament (‘you’re definitely going to get attacked by Russian fans, you may somehow have escaped alive from South Africa, Ukraine and Brazil but this will definitely be different’) look like being wide of the mark. Hope I’m not tempting fate there...!

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5 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

Russia does have a high murder rate - linked to alcoholism and poverty - and a high incidence of football-related violence. However Putin wants to show the world an ordered, safe society and that's what you'll get. Petty thieves, ne'er do wells and even prossies have been rounded up and kept away from the areas where tournament goers will congregate and Russian hoolies know a one-way ticket to the salt mines will be their reward if they play up.

As a result visitors should be able to enjoy one of the safest World Cup experiences for many years.

Exactly RR,they would of be told that if they stepped out of line,it would be good night Vladimir,it's off to the Gulag.

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3 England fans apparently were filmed/photographed Nazi saluting in Volgograd- considering what Volgograd is, was that is- unbelievable tbh.

Tiny minority though- this WC has been really trouble free in general, aside from the Brazil thing and the aforementioned Nazi saluting.

Overall though, it seems to have been remarkably trouble free.

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Nizhny is presently overrun with Argentinian and Croatian fans: main pedestrian area near our apartment (and the fan fest) is rammed. Sadly not a sniff of anyone with a spare to sell: fancied getting into the game if possible. And still not a sniff of trouble.

@North London Red where in Nizhny are you staying?

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