Mexican striker Javier Hernández appealed to his country's football fans to "stop their homophobic chanting" at matches, arguing it "could lead" to further fines from FIFA. Hernández posted a message on Instagram on Wednesday "asking fans to end their derogatory chants during their opponents’ goal kicks" (REUTERS, 6/20).
Cristiano Ronaldo broke Ferenc Puskas' record for the most int'l goals by a European player with his winning goal for Portugal against Morocco on Wednesday. The Portugal captain "met Joao Moutinho's cross to head home" in the fourth minute. It was his 85th goal for Portugal (ESPN.com, 6/20).
Vicki Sparks was the first woman to commentate live on a World Cup game for British TV by "taking to the mic" for Portugal vs. Morocco. Sparks was the lead voice of BBC One's live coverage from Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium (London DAILY MAIL, 6/20).
Spotify is "taking advantage of World Cup hype" to launch exclusive video content and other new features that celebrate the intersections of music, culture and football. The video series can only be found on the platform’s ¡Viva Latino! enhanced playlist through the month of June (ADWEEK, 6/19).
Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich "footed bills for 30 seriously ill children in Israel to watch the World Cup" after a recommendation by former Ghana coach Avram Grant. Grant told the Russian billionaire about a charity in Israel which "looked to have touched the heart of the magnate who decided to pay for the children to fly to Russia and enjoy the World Cup games" (PEACE FM ONLINE, 6/20).
Denmark's players covered the price of Jonas Knudsen's flight home on a private jet to see his newborn daughter shortly after the country's win over Peru on Saturday. Knudsen's wife, Trine, gave birth to a girl several weeks earlier than expected "after he had already arrived in Russia." Knudsen returned to Denmark's camp on Monday (REUTERS, 6/20).
Authorities in Tehran, Iran, "agreed to allow women to access public viewings" of the match against Spain with men, a reversal of "long-standing policy" after domestic and int'l protests. The Tehran provincial council on June 20 said that the city's Azadi and Takhti stadiums would "open their gates to women" to view televised broadcasts of the match (RADIO FREE EUROPE, 6/20).
Distrusted at first by some as "dodgy cash," a special World Cup 100-ruble ($1.57) banknote with a picture of Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin has become a collectors’ item, with Russians "willing to pay several times its face value to get their hands on it." Tinted in hues of blue, yellow and green, the note features a boy dressed in a football jersey and holding a ball as he watches a diving Yashin -- an image that is "meant to symbolize" the appeal of football across generations (REUTERS, 6/20).
Colombian pop singer Maluma was reportedly robbed of luxury items worth over $785,000 from his hotel room near Moscow’s Red Square. An intruder "stole valuables including a Louis Vuitton bag, 11 luxury watches, various items of Cartier jewelry and 10 glasses studded with diamonds and pearls," two police sources said (REUTERS, 6/19).
Concussion experts heavily criticized Morocco’s decision to let Nordin Amrabat play against Portugal on Wednesday, "only five days after he sustained a concussion" in the match against Iran. The 31-year-old Amrabat started the game wearing a scrum cap but took it off after 15 minutes (DAILY MAIL, 6/20).
