It was not Putin Mundial | Policy | DW



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Has this Mundial changed Russia? Yes permanently? It will not be. But, because of this tournament, this country was at least for a month colored and not gray, cheerful and not frustrated, brave and not scary. Both for the outside world and for the people who live here. Even when, nowadays, among the many fans of fans have seen the gray color of Russian police, it was not the first time that I remembered the limitation of the poles of opinion. Already – the safety of this sports festival, which Russia has mastered. With success.

The Russian metropolis as a European city

This success was achieved through a unique blend of security and relaxation that turned Moscow and other cities of the world into European cities. Everything was covered by a high-speed Internet network, live broadcasts were broadcast on the metro, Russian Railways offered free trains to fans, mobile phones could be filled in state-of-the-art bus stations; all of which benefited. But the most important thing was something else: the feeling that a man can be as he wants as he wants

Anyone could shout "naked" on the terrace bar, and spontaneously kiss friends – for joy or for comfort. snooker, sing, and, yes, drink alcohol freely, do not have to roll the bottle in a newspaper, flirt with the Brazilians – despite the warnings of the moral apostles in the Duma, whisper to the Mexican village for peace world and come back afterwards in a city on a tractor, to unearth every word that he can speak in English to explain to the discontented fan of Saudi Arabia that Novgorod, in which he is not Nizhny Novgorod in which he was supposed to come and see his team play. He helped the fan to change his ticket for transport, to squeeze a handful of sour cucumbers from his native radishote and to wish him a good trip to the real Novgorod – all this was this World Cup that belonged first and foremost to people. Football that gives hope

This was not Vladimir Putin's World Cup, as is often called the tournament, because if President Putin was the head of state, he could not order his compatriots so warmly, hospitable, and well brought up. It is true that the championship is also benefited by Putin, who is politically isolated and sanctioned in the West. But not only him. And for the legitimization of the system that he established in his country, he does not really need the world championship in football.

With all the euphoria, this Mundial will not definitely relax the life of the Russians. It is neither political nor economic. On the contrary: before the time of the PS, the government pushed several laws that would make daily life more difficult. But football has given hope that one day the country will not be connected only with Skripal, Donbas and the sanctions. Hope that after the finals will not take place something that looks like dramatic events after the 2014 Sochi Olympics, when Russia is suddenly appropriate the Crimea. Russian theater director Kirilich Srebrenikov, who is under house arrest, will not be imprisoned and Ukrainian director Oleg Senzov, who is in a Russian prison camp, will be exchanged for Russian prisoners in Ukraine. Yes, Russia, which has presented to the world its smiling face, will no longer be able to show its teeth to this world.

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