Ermitazh Cat Predicts Switzerland will Defeat Sweden at World Cup

________________________

Akhill (Achilles), a white-furred tomcat reputed to have psychic powers, predicted that the Swiss team will win a match against Sweden in the FIFA World Cup’s Round of 16 in St Petersburg on Tuesday. The oracle cat confidently approached a food bowl with the Swiss flag at the State Ermitazh Museum in St Petersburg and ate the food. Last time, the blue-eyed cat, who made flawless predictions for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, was wrong when forecasting the outcome of a match between Nigeria and Argentina, and now the feline has to confirm his psychic powers. The cat was correct in choosing the Russian national team as the winner over Saudi Arabia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup’s opener in Moscow on 14 June and also the outcomes of the matches at the stadium in St Petersburg. Achilles also predicted the victory of Iran’s team over Morocco on 15 June, Russia’s victory over Egypt on 19 June and Brazil’s victory over Costa Rica on 22 June. During a match between Argentina and Nigeria, Akhill chose Nigeria, but Argentina won 2-1.

Akhill became the animal oracle because he displayed analytical capabilities and unique behaviour. Moreover, he’s deaf as many white cats are, yet this impairment doesn’t sidetrack the feline and lets him better concentrate on his predictions. The cat was right about the outcomes of three out of four 2017 Confederation Cup matches played in St Petersburg, including the opening and final matches. His “performance” during the World Cup is a joint project on bolstering tourism to St Petersburg and the Ermitazh Museum. Akhill will predict the results of the World Cup’s semifinal and a match for the third place scheduled in St Petersburg on 10 July and 14 July.

3 July 2018

TASS

http://tass.com/society/1011782

Advertisement

Experts Say FIFA World Cup Will Bolster Russian Beer Market

________________________

Data provided by Morgan Stanley showed that the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia this summer would boost beer consumption. It estimated football fans’ impact on beer consumption at 2 percent. As a result, it expects that Russia’s beer market would grow during 2018, for the first time in a decade. The Russian Brewers’ Union confirmed that beer sales in Russia, which declined steadily over the past few years, could indeed grow in 2018. Kirill Bolmatov, Corporate Relations Director at Heineken Russia said:

To begin with, there’s no bad news. The excise duty didn’t rise in 2018, nor were there any new restrictions. Non-alcoholic beer made a substantial contribution, which is the most promising segment now.

According to the Russian Brewers’ Union, despite a decrease in beer consumption, sales of non-alcoholic beer grew by 5.6 percent from January to September 2017. Oraz Durdyev, Legal and Corporate Affairs Director at SUN InBev, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, pointed up:

Football can be of help as well. As a rule, during World Cups, beer consumption in a host country grows by about 5 percent. Largely, this is due to the established consumption culture in Western countries, because beer is always associated with football.

Pavel Filippov, PR manager at Efes Rus said:

In addition to that, the event will be in the summer, which is the peak season for brewers.

11 January 2018

TASS

http://tass.com/pressreview/984567

17 July 2017. An Observation on Working-Class Football Culture in Europe

“Ваше место тут” (“Your place is here”… idiomatically, “You belong here”)… the rowdy backers of FK Lokomotiv Moskva in the (in)famous South Stands at Lokomotiv Central Stadium…

________________________

You back a side because your dad does; all his mates do, as does the entire neighbourhood. You’ve seen the people going en masse to the matches! It’s neighbourhood and team pride all rolled up in one. If we’re talking REAL football… let’s not forget Fr Christos in Thessaloniki who shows up at all the matches. Some tight-arsed people complained… but the people put up a FB page Hands Off Our Father Christos! The bishop didn’t ban him from the pitch…

Some middle-class people look down their noses at this… but I’d remind them that people CHOOSE their pastimes and that backing this side or that one is a far less harmful occupation than some of the things indulged in by the scornful bourgeois. Indeed…

I do confide that their real problem with it is that it’s “common”…

BMD

14 June 2016. As Seen By Vitaly Podvitsky… A Russian Fist For Anglo Hooligans

A Russian Fist For Anglo Hooligans

Vitaly Podvitsky

2016

______________________________

Of course, the UEFA blamed the Russians, even though the Anglo yobbos started the fracas and mayhem. This should’ve learnt the Anglos good on a point of principle… you can start a fight with the Russians, but the Russians will generally finish it (and you). I somehow think that the lesson didn’t sink home this time… just listen to Chilly Hilly’s hate-filled rhetoric about the Rodina (to think that self-hating Orthodox support her! Monstrous!). I fear that the lesson will have to be repeated… with bloody results. Don’t say that I didn’t tell you so…

BMD