Reporter’s diary: Russia prepares for World Cup 2018
Aljosa Milenkovic
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03:02
Out of 207 national football teams that FIFA ranks regularly, Russia holds the 66th position – ahead of the World Cup there is little optimism for glory.
Russian fans question whether their team will be up to the task when the competition kicks off. But before the big World Cup, a small copy-cat version “World Football Cup of Celebrities” opened recently at the Spartak football field in Moscow.  
At the opening, renowned Russian dancers at the middle of the field danced traditional Russian dance “Kazachok”, all followed by an outstanding performance of the Russian anthem by the world famous “Aleksandrov” military ensemble. It was designed to boost the audience’s spirit at the opening of that event.
The opening match was held between Russia and Slovenia. It was a Russian national team (of celebrities though) that played. The biggest celebrity among them was the Deputy PM of the Russian government Arkady Dvorkovich. He was the one credited for bringing the actual World Cup to Russia.
Although football was never a Russian thing, people here did share quite some passion about their national team.
Andrey from Moscow. /CGTN Photo

Andrey from Moscow. /CGTN Photo

At the stands of the Spartak stadium we met Andrey from Moscow, a dedicated Russian team fan. He was not too optimistic or happy with his country's national team, and did not think that they would have a bright future at this Championship.
“I’d like to see them progress into the next round. But they are a weak team. I think that different players should have been chosen for the national team, younger ones and more talented ones.”
Anna from Moscow. /CGTN Photo

Anna from Moscow. /CGTN Photo

Among the hundreds of spectators was Anna, also from Moscow. She came here with her son to give support to the Russian celebrities. Yet regarding the Championship, she does not have high expectations for the national team:
“We hope for success and we would like our team to qualify further from the group stage. Even that would be a great victory and success. We hope that our team will meet our expectations.”
Rinat Dasayev, former goalkeeper Soviet Union National Team. /CGTN Photo

Rinat Dasayev, former goalkeeper Soviet Union National Team. /CGTN Photo

In another Moscow suburb, Rinat Dasayev, a football legend and one of the best goalkeepers the game has ever seen. His opinion about the prospects of the Russian national team was not too different compared with those of the people I met at the Spartak stadium.
“There are a lot of young players and their results were poor in recent years. And a lot of them just passed through the team,” Rinat said. “But despite all of that, not advancing into the next round of the competition would be a crime.”
Stanislav Cherchesov, Russian National Team head coach. /CGTN Photo

Stanislav Cherchesov, Russian National Team head coach. /CGTN Photo

The Russian team is obviously under severe pressure from not just its fans, but also the international audience. This comes after a massive doping scandal swept through Russian sports, effectively paralyzing their participation in February's Winter Olympics. The Russian team is under constant scrutiny of anti-doping bodies, as admitted by their head coach Stanislav Cherchesov.
“We do participate in that process and we are constantly checked. So far they’ve done it three times. That’s a normal process and we are accepting it in spirit. And they are checking others as well, not just our team.”
Russia hopes that in the end, this World Cup is a win-win situation. Even if their team fails to find success, they hope that just by hosting the event, they can be seen as winners.