Rio de Janeiro: More than half of Brazilians have no interest in the World Cup in Russia, according to the results of an opinion poll published Monday, despite the country’s stellar history at the championships. Fifty three per cent are treating the World Cup, which starts Thursday, with a giant shrug, the ‘Datafolha’ poll found. That was up from 42 per cent in January. The pollsters reported that this was the most tepid build-up to the event since the question was first posed in 1994. The least interested in the upcoming action in Russia were women (61 per cent), people aged between 35 and 44 (57 per cent), and those living in the south of the country (59 per cent).
No cars please
Moscow: Authorities are pleading with locals not to drive in the run-up to Thursday’s World Cup opening match to avoid causing gridlock in the city. The Russian capital of 12 million people is creaking at the seams as it starts receiving hundreds of thousands visitors for the month-long football extravaganza. The city’s transportation department said some of the busiest roads here will have to be closed off to general traffic to make way for dignitaries arriving for the opening ceremony. “Due to the high number of events and the arrival of important guests, additional road restrictions are possible,” the transportation department said. “We strongly urge city residents to use city transport and to leave their cars at home,” it added.
Match officials gear up
Moscow: Match officials may not have the opportunity to kick the ball around much at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia but they will nevertheless be responsible for making high-pressure and potentially game-changing calls. Keeping that in mind, they were put through their paces at the RZD Arena Stadium in Moscow. The warm-up session featured cardio exercises to test fitness and the refereeing teams were also put through simulations to test their ability to spot fouls. Thirty six referees and 63 linesmen will manage the 64 games during the tournament.
Honeymoon postponed
Kazan: Australia defender Josh Risdon said here Thursday that he had postponed his honeymoon because he was busy preparing for the FIFA World Cup. “A honeymoon is a very special moment, but if there is something more important for me now it’s the World Cup. My wife fully supported me. After our wedding, I went to the national team to prepare for the World Cup. After the tournament, we will spend a couple of weeks together. But, anyway I am very happy now,” Risdon told journalists here. More than 3,000 fans greeted the Aussies when they trained here Tuesday.