A Warm Welcome: Muscovites Show Off Their Hospitality to International World Cup Crowds
Today, sports fans from various countries organized an international soccer game in Moscow. Here's some footage from Manezhnaya Square, where dozens of people had gathered. Having laid out various flags in the center, locals and guests of the festival stood in a circle. The fans sang national anthems and chants. These days, sports unite all kinds of people. Foreign guests are receiving a warm welcome and help from the locals.
Here's Olga Solovieva with a report on our capital's hospitality.
In a kitchen in Butovo, a granny soccer team from Limpopo is trying caviar for the first time. They thought it was supposed to be sweet: "Tastes like fish".
The South African female athletes were invited over by a Muscovite. When South Africa hosted the World Cup, he toured the country. And that was how they met. We invited them to a rematch.
"They've been wanting to come, and the World Cup gave them a reason to do so".
The African grannies are practicing. Tomorrow, they will be playing a friendly match against our Buranovskiye Babushki.
For these Mexican tourists, the vacation is over, and it's time to go home. They're leaving in a good mood, but things could be different. Jose Antonio twisted his ankle and needed to see a doctor; however, he only speaks Spanish. A traffic control officer, who happens to be fluent in Spanish, was there to help.
Ilgiz Khasyanov, senior specialist at Moscow's Traffic Organization Center: "They only spoke Spanish. We understood that the tourist had hurt his leg".
They took Jose Antonio to the hospital and helped him communicate with the doctor.
Jose Antonio Luis Martinez, tourist (Mexico): "Thank you so much for being so nice to me! People here are very friendly and helpful".
The Lavrikovs came across a strange taxi. Although the car doors were wide open, the foreigners inside did not seem to be about to leave. For a ride that was supposed to cost 500 rubles ($8.5), the driver demanded 6,000 rubles ($94) and even started a fight. Locals stood up for the Uruguayan fans.
Anna Lavrikova: "Russia is currently hosting the FIFA World Cup. I thought we absolutely had to help our foreign guests".
If you encounter a problem, you can contact the fan support center. The call center works 24/7, and the staff speaks ten languages: from the widely-spoken English and Spanish languages to the exotic Persian language spoken by the soccer fans from Iran. A fan who lost his passport on the way to the airport received help today as well.
- We managed to find the taxi driver and the passport".
Foreign guests speak very highly of Moscow's hospitality.
- I got lost and couldn't find the bus stop. Someone helped me out.
- People here are really friendly; we're enjoying this trip.
No matter the size of the problem, it'll be taken care of.
Olga Solovieva, Oleg Dobinov, Tina Uskalova, and Ksenia Sokolova, Vesti