Confederations Cup 2017

[KC McElroy]

Thus far Europe and CONCACAF are in the semifinals.

[persian-eagle-13]

Faghani was the 4th referee in Russia vs Mexico game.

what a joke was russia today! probably the weakest russian team i have seen in long time.

[persian-eagle-13]

In the other game CR7 scored his 75th goal. 34 goals shy of Ali Daei. With at least 10-14 games in this coming year (between now and next world cup) for Portugal, he can add to his tally!

[pres80]

In the other game CR7 scored his 75th goal. 34 goals shy of Ali Daei. With at least 10-14 games in this coming year (between now and next world cup) for Portugal, he can add to his tally!

I think it was only his 60th competitive goal though.

Is Ali Daei's including non-competitive goals?

[GoIran]

Why is Russia so bad at football? They are usually successful at many sports and football is their most popular sport, surpassing even ice hockey.

[littlepersia17]

Confederations Cup 2017

Why is Russia so bad at football? They are usually successful at many sports and football is their most popular sport, surpassing even ice hockey.

This discussion was going on Reddit, and many people suggested that football is one of the few sports where doping doesn't really effect how good a team plays (alluding to the fact that Russia is good at other sports due to their systematic doping system).

The news also broke yesterday that the whole 2014 Russian team is under investigation for doping. This same team finished third behind the world class Algerian team (sarcasm) in the group stages.

It goes to show that football is more about skill than fitness, at least more so than many other sports.

[Kiarash]

Semi finals:

Portugal - Chile
Germany - Mexico

[KC McElroy]

The semifinals consist of teams from Europe, South America and CONCACAF.

[zereshk-ali]

Watched Chile - Australia today.

Just amazing how many persistent fouls the Aussies got away with before finally starting to get booked - they're a very dirty team and seem to get away with it.

It's a shame Iraq dropped so many points - would have been nice to see them qualify ahead of both Saudi and the Aussies.

[Kiarash]

It's a shame Iraq dropped so many points - would have been nice to see them qualify ahead of both Saudi and the Aussies.

No thanks.

[KC McElroy]

Watched Chile - Australia today.

Just amazing how many persistent fouls the Aussies got away with before finally starting to get booked - they're a very dirty team and seem to get away with it.

It's a shame Iraq dropped so many points - would have been nice to see them qualify ahead of both Saudi and the Aussies.

The World Cup does not need an ISIS representative.

[littlepersia17]

The World Cup does not need an ISIS representative.

But it needs a Hezbollah representative?

[Homa]

Guys, I have just returned from Russia.
I have visited Moscow and decided this time for Klainingrad. The Tickets for the Game Russia vs. Portugal has been organized by a friend of mine. Her company is a local sponsor of Fifa and she therefore could organize us the Tickets.
The First difference compared to the World Cups and Confederation Cups I know (Maybe in 2014 this was already different) was the fact that each spectator has to apply for a so called Fan ID. This Fan-ID is created online with the Passport Details and a picture. I choose to pick up the Fan-ID at one of the Fan-Zones in Moscow. Like always I flew with Aeroflot to Moscow Sheremetyevo (They have for sure the most beautiful Stewardess). As I travel around 10 Times to Russia the Customs has been no Problem. For Visitors of the games, the Russian Federation offers the possibility to enter Russia without Visa. Everything you need is the Fan-ID and the Tickets. If you have an Iranian Passport you can enter Russia without Visa. But be prepared that they will ask you in a very poor English few questions about the reason for your stay.

Specially for Moscow I always would recommend to take the Metro. The Traffic is horrible and comparable to Tehran. Therefore I took the Aeroexpress (Fast-Train which goes from the 3 international Airports Moscow has) to one of the 3 Main Railway stations. The Trip just takes 30 Minutes, compared to the 02:00 hours you would need by Taxi or Car. Price for this was 500 Rubel, something around 8 €. You have Wifi on Board and can relax. From the Belaruskaya Station I took the Green Metro Line to the Pavletskaya Station to Pick up my Fan-ID. If coming to Moscow I recommend everyone to travel via Metro. Their Stations are like little Museums. Absolute amazing. And you save a lot of Time.

What supervised me: In the whole city there was absolute no Football Fever. No big signs, no Public Viewing, no Flags and no Fans with Shirts. It was like a normal busy working day in Moscow. I was the only one running around with the Adidas Russian Fan Shirt.
After picking up my Fan-ID we stored my Luggage at the Hotel and decided to take the Metro to the Spartak-Stadium. I have visited 2 World Cups and 2 Euros, but never have seen so many Police or Military around the Stadium. They have created 2 Safety Rings around the Stadium with a lot of Police and Guard. Helicopters and Drones have been following everything in the Air. To enter the Stadium you had to Scan your Ticket and the Fan-ID. A Guard was controlling your picture on the Fan-ID. This makes it more difficult to buy and sell tickets, as all your tickets details are recorded on the Fan-ID.

Even at the Stadium you barely could see people dressed with Shirt. The Portugese came like we expect a Football Fan to be, but the Russian has been wearing their casual clothes. Even though there has been a lot of Volunteers trying to raise up the mood of the fans, there was no real atmosphere. You could see that Russia is not a Football Nation.

The Spartak Stadium was looking amazing. An absolute modern and new Arena. Russia played very poor. During the Game they never managed to bring the Fans on their side. For me it was funny to see that the Stadium even could not manage one Laola Wave, as many fans did not know what to do… LOL.
After the Game we decide to go close to the White House and eat. An even though we have been in the heart of Moscow the only guys we saw with flags and shirts has been us and few Mexicans and guys from Chile. Absolute no Football Atmosphere in the City.
The next day we flew to Kaliningrad, which will also be one of the Cities hosting World Cup Games. And again I realized that outside the two big Cities Moscow and Sankt Petersburg, there is absolute no infrastructure you know from Europe. Although they are building a new Terminal, the current Airport could not handle two Flights coming on the same time. You had one Baggage Belt for all flights and 4 Check-In Counter which has been next to the Belt.
The whole City had 4 Hotels with European standard and 3 of them has been booked out. We stood at the 3* IBIS Hotel which is one of the better Hotels in Town. During the World Cup this will be a huge problem.

For those who are planning to travel by car thru Russia: Please have a Look on the Map of Russia. This is a huge Country. From Moscow you need 15 hours one way by car to Kaliningrad, 11 hours to Kazan, 12 hours to Rostov a.D. and 20 hours to Sochi. This is no real option.
And outside of the cities the Streets do not have the standards you expect and need. Even to Sankt Petersburg you need 7 hours from Moscow. Everything except Airplane (Even Train) is no Option.
I for myself have decided that I will try to watch one TM Game during the WC. Depending on the Cities I will choose it. Everything is a logistic nightmare.

[8008s]

^ spasibo!

cost of tix?

[Homa]

^ spasibo!

cost of tix?

Pozhaluysta. They offered very cheap Level IV Tickets for Russian citizen. But as we wanted to have nice seats we choose Level II Tickets for 5700 Rubel, which is approx. 89 €.