© Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik
CNBC: Putin basks in the glory of a World Cup that has broken stereotypes and ripped up the rulebook
* Before the kickoff of the Russian World Cup almost a month ago, soccer fans were told to attend the tournament at their own risk, Russia was portrayed as a malignant player on the world stage and Putin was something of a persona non grata.
* Several weeks into the tournament and international soccer stars, pundits and the public have largely had nothing but positive comments and experiences in Russia.
Before the kickoff of the Russian World Cup almost a month ago, soccer fans were told to attend the tournament at their own risk, Russia was portrayed as a malignant player on the world stage and Putin was something of a persona non grata.
Several weeks into the tournament and international soccer stars, pundits and the public who have been to Russia have largely had nothing but positive comments and experiences.
The tournament saw the rule book of soccer tradition ripped up too, with some of the favorites — Brazil, Germany, Spain and Argentina — being knocked out early on which made for compelling viewing.
Read more ....
Update: Organizers say World Cup has transformed perception of Russia (Reuters)
WNU Editor: The Games have so far been a success. And yes .... visitors are seeing Russia in a different and more positive light. Take it from me .... Russia is a great place to live if you have the means and resources to live there, and Moscow is a very modern city. As for Putin .... no question about it .... to him this is the highlight of his Presidency, and he is enjoying every minute of it.
1 comment:
Western media coverage, or at least a certain segment of it, has really played up how Russia is really so much worse than it looks now (the Economist comes to mind, saying that it will be hard for Putin to turn it back into the besieged fortress that it was earlier; I think you will agree that, whatever problems we may have now, Russia in 2018 cannot reasonably be described as an isolated armed camp - that seems like a description appropriate to, say, most of the Soviet Union's existence, not any moment in the short history of the Russian Federation). But that seems like a desperate rear guard action that would hardly leave much of an impression on any but the most credulous or prejudiced.
I'd also add that Russia is more of a winner here than Putin. He wins on the world stage, sure, but domestically, people have enjoyed the World Cup but at the same time complained about the expenses and the irrationality of building giant football stadiums, most of which will likely never be filled up to this extent again.
Post a Comment