It only took 80 years.
The world’s biggest party and football event is finally coming to the motherland.
Although FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s speech prior to announcing the winners seemingly took even longer, it only took one word from his mouth to electrify a nation quickly entering a deep winter freeze. Russia! Rossiya! As many were coming home from work all around the country, the bear awoke from his hibernation to a chorus of chants and horns with the joyous news.
The news, which was announced a week ago(at this point), can only be good for the future of Russia and it’s brand of football. The Russian league is slowly but surely becoming more recognizable throughout the Europe whether by selling off players to more popular teams or fairing well in European Club competition in 2005 and 2008 clinching the UEFA cup. Now with the right to host soccer’s marquee tournament and quite possibly the world’s biggest sporting event it will help the Russian youth and their future soccer.
Russia has already shown it’s willingness to welcome the world by promising a “no visa” requirement to enter the country which present day requires any non citizen to acquire should they require visiting. This woudnt be the first time such a policy was put into place as back in 2008 President Dmitry Medvedev signed a 72-hour decree allowing traveling fans from outside the country free entry with their Champions League Final ticket. As you recall back then England’s Chelsea lost to Manchester United on penalties at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
UEFA’s five-star stadium will no doubt be the host of the final game and is already going through renovation to add more seating eventually fitting 89,000 people. Currently the stadium houses Spartak Moscow who will be in their own stadium which promises to hold 40,000 fans and will be located in northwest Moscow. The stadium will be funded mostly by their main sponsor Lukoil while other clubs such as Zenit St.Petersburg and CSKA will have their new grounds funded by Gazprom and VTB Bank.
Outside of Moscow and St.Petersburg cities like Kazan and Sochi will also be getting new stadia for when the World Cup finally comes and the government has already promised free ground travel from city-to-city via railroads for ticket holders. All other host cities can be found here.
The videos used from the bid committee can be found below as well as Blatter’s long but eventual announcement. You can bet plenty more will be said about this WC in the months and years to come and we hope to still be relevant here at Nothin But Nyet by the time our old country welcomes you. As the bid commercial says Russia never sleeps!
-Sergei
