Russia’s WC fever stretches to Siberia

AFP, ULAN-UDE: Thousands of kilometres and a five-hour time difference with Moscow cannot dull World Cup fever in the Siberian town of Ulan-Ude, even if it means missing out on sleep.

After Russia’s stunning victory over Spain on Sunday, joyful celebrations broke out in this city of roughly 400,000 people to the east of Lake Baikal, mirroring those taking place in central Moscow.

“We still feel the party here, despite being 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) away. Everyone supports Russia, I think Russia will win this competition,” said 40-year-old farmer Anton Darkhanov.

Russians typically prefer ice hockey and the enthusiasm for football across the country -- as well as the team’s staggering performance -- has taken many by surprise.

In the world’s biggest country, with 11 timezones, following a tournament taking place in the European part of Russia has meant missing out on sleep for those in the east.

The easternmost of the 11 host cities is Yekaterinburg, on the frontier between Europe and Asia.

When a match starts in Moscow at 9:00 pm, viewers in Ulan-Ude will be turning on their TVs at 2:00 am.

 

Russias WC fever stretches to Siberia

AFP, ULAN-UDE: Thousands of kilometres and a five-hour time difference with Moscow cannot dull World Cup fever in the Siberian town of Ulan-Ude, even if it means missing out on sleep. After Russias stunning victory over Spain on Sunday, joyful celebrations broke out in this city of roughly 400,000 people to the east of Lake Baikal, mirroring those taking place in central Moscow. We still feel the party here, despite being 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) away. Everyone supports Russia, I think Russia will win this competition, said 40-year-old farmer Anton Darkhanov. Russians typically prefer ice hockey and the enthusiasm for football across the country -- as well as the teams staggering performance -- has taken many by surprise. In the worlds biggest country, with 11 timezones, following a tournament taking place in the European part of Russia has meant missing out on sleep for those in the east. The easternmost of the 11 host cities is Yekaterinburg, on the frontier between Europe and Asia. When a match starts in Moscow at 9:00 pm, viewers in Ulan-Ude will be turning on their TVs at 2:00 am.