In light of the first FIFA World Cup 2018 match played in his homeland on Thursday, Russian Ambassador to Guyana Alexander Kurmaz took the opportunity to specially host a viewing of the opening match at the Russian House located in Kitty, Georgetown.
The viewing, which was attended by Social Cohesion Minister with responsibility for Sport, Dr George Norton; Director of Sport, Christopher Jones; Ambassadors and other dignitaries, commenced with an opening speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In his remarks, Putin urged visiting fans to take time out to learn about Russia’s identity, culture, history, and diversity. “I hope you will have an unforgettable experience – not only watching the matches of your favourite teams and admiring the players’ skills, but also getting to know Russia,” Putin said.
Ambassador Kurmaz expressed elation at being able to share such a moment with others, noting that it was important for fans to see the difference between politics and sport.
A section of the viewing party
“We’re very happy to organise a series of local events dedicated to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, you see it’s a holiday not only for the Russian fans but for the world fans. All ideas about making a blockage and ignore the Russian chairmanship failed and we’re very happy that all fans worldwide understand very well the separation between politics and sport,” Kurmaz said, taking a jab at persons who did not support Russia as the ideal World Cup venue.
Kurmaz and all of Russia had their wish come true after the home team defeated Saudi Arabia in a 5-0 thriller. Yury Gazinsky, Denis Cheryshev, Artem Dzyuba, and Aleksandr Golovin all gave their country something to be proud of, continuing the cycle of home teams winning their first match. The Russians have played a total of 10 World Cups before this, with seven under the banner of the Soviet Union and three as Russia. The Soviet Union finished fourth in 1966, which is their best-ever finish whereas Russia have never progressed beyond the group stage in three attempts in 1994, 2004 and 2014. At home, the 70th ranked side will hope their luck changes under the leadership of Igor Akinfeev.
