England's win over Tunisia reportedly "sparked a surge of interest in World Cup tickets" from within the U.K. With tournament organizers issuing an "urgent plea for more Three Lions fans to roar on their team in Russia," data shows Google searches for "World Cup tickets," "England World Cup tickets" and "How to buy World Cup tickets" have "spiked" since Monday's game. On Wednesday, FIFA urged England supporters to "keep an eye on its website for any tickets that might become available" (London TELEGRAPH, 6/21).
Sepp Blatter came to Moscow and saw Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, defying FIFA's "wish that its suspended former president's visit to the World Cup would attract little attention." Blatter said that he went to see Russia's president after watching Portugal's 1-0 win over Morocco in Moscow on Wednesday. Blatter: "We had small talks. We spoke about football and the good start of the competition, the good start of the team" (AP, 6/22).
More than 1 million fans have attended games at the World Cup, FIFA said in a statement on Thursday after Denmark's 1-1 draw with Australia, the 21st match of the tournament. A FIFA statement said, "To date, more than 2.6 million tickets have been allocated to football fans all around the world, with ticket sales ongoing until July 15. On average, World Cup stadium occupancy is at 97 percent and more than 70,000 tickets have been resold" (REUTERS, 6/21). FIFA also announced its Fan Fest has already welcomed 2.5 million visitors (FIFA).
The beer shortage that "has left some Moscow bars and restaurants scrambling to supply thirsty patrons" has not impacted World Cup venues, according to the tournament's official beer sponsor. AB InBev, the parent company of Budweiser, confirmed that the brand is experiencing "increased beer demand" in Russia but said that it "expected and had planned for" the surge (FOX BUSINESS, 6/20).
Police in Colombia launched an investigation into "a series of online death threats made against Carlos Sánchez," who was sent off three minutes into his country's opening World Cup game. In a "chilling reminder of the murder of Andrés Escobar," who was gunned down days after scoring an own goal for Colombia at the 1994 World Cup, several social media users have targeted the midfielder with "vile messages threatening his life" (London GUARDIAN, 6/21).
Nordin Amrabat (center) suffered a concussion in Morocco's opening game against Iran.GETTY IMAGES
FIFA described Morocco's decision to allow Nordin Amrabat to play against Portugal five days after he suffered a concussion as "questionable," as it said that it wrote to the team's doctor to remind him of its protocols. Amrabat was taken off in Morocco's opening game against Iran last Friday "after a clash of heads, in which he suffered memory loss" and had to spend the night in the hospital. FIFA's guidelines "suggest a minimum of six days between a concussion and returning to play" but it does not "have the authority to enforce this" (GUARDIAN, 6/21).
Iceland's players will be "allowed to have sex" ahead of their World Cup match against Nigeria as long as it is with their wives, coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said on Thursday. When a reporter asked if sex was banned for members of the squad, Iceland captain Aron Gunnarsson said, laughing, "For the time being, yes." Hallgrimsson interjected by saying, "At least as long as the wives have not arrived. No, sex is not banned, it's bullshit" (REUTERS, 6/21).
British police said on Wednesday that they are investigating "images of England football fans making Nazi salutes in what appeared to be a bar" in Volgograd, where England played Tunisia on Monday. The video, "shared widely on social media," shows three fans raising their arms in the salute and singing an anti-Semitic song with references to the Auschwitz concentration camp, punctuated with shouts of "Sieg Heil" (REUTERS, 6/20).
A female reporter groped live on air at the World Cup "has spoken out about harassment by sports fans." Colombian correspondent Julieth Gonzalez Theran was working for DW Espanol in Moscow when a man "grabbed her breast and kissed her cheek." She continued her report without interruption but has since "addressed the incident online." She said, "We do not deserve this treatment. We are equally valuable and professional" (BBC, 6/21).
Former Asian Football Confederation Secretary-General Datuk Peter Velappan believes that four ASEAN countries can jointly organize the World Cup in the future if their respective governments "give full support to their national FAs." He noted that the four countries have what it takes to organize the tournament "despite having world rankings that are not as good compared to that of the European countries" (MALAYSIAN DIGEST, 6/21).
FIFA "angrily denied extraordinary claims" World Cup referee Mark Geiger asked Cristiano Ronaldo for his shirt during Portugal's win over Morocco. The governing body "cleared Geiger of any wrongdoing" after Moroccan midfielder Nordin Amrabat said one of Ronaldo's teammates told him the official "sought a memento from the striker." FIFA said in a statement, "Mr Geiger strongly refutes these claims and categorically states that such a request was not made" (TELEGRAPH, 6/21).
Women were "finally allowed inside football stadiums in Iran on Wednesday, fulfilling lifelong dreams of watching a game." The last time women were able to attend a football match in Iran was in '79, but on Wednesday, female fans entered the Azadi Stadium in Tehran to watch their team play Spain in the World Cup. Selfies taken by women inside the grounds "circulated on social media" and the Iranian team tweeted a photo of a young woman in the stands holding the national flag (BBC, 6/21).
