Russia Opens Information Center at London Tourism Office Ahead Of 2018 World Cup

Russia opened an information center at its tourist office in London "in a bid to calm England fans' fears about hooligans at next year's World Cup," according to Ben Rumsby of the London TELEGRAPH. There have "long been concerns of a repeat at the tournament of the sickening violence" that saw more than 100 England supporters injured before and after the countries' Euro 2016 clash last summer. The information center at Visit Russia's London office will be officially launched on Sept. 1, although Deputy Chief Alexei Cherepanov revealed "it was already working in a test mode." Cherepanov said, "Our office is already functioning. We want the British people to see that all the doors are open for them. They can call in to ask any question any time." He added that the "most frequently-asked questions had been about special identity cards" that can be used as a visa to enter the country and are needed to access stadiums (TELEGRAPH, 8/15).