World Cup 2018: Phil Rothfield follows the Socceroos to Russia for a World Cup extravaganza
IT’S a World Cup special, with your brave columnist PHIL ROTHFIELD taking in all the action from Russia 2018 — Socceroos heroes, fanatical fans, uptight security … and horse meat.
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- Aussie pedalling 8000km to watch Socceroos
- Why Bert rejected $15m
IT’S a World Cup special, with your brave columnist PHIL ROTHFIELD taking in all the action from Russia 2018 — Socceroos heroes, fanatical fans, uptight security … and horse meat.
SAINT
A CONTINGENT of 7000 fanatical Aussie fans who have converged on Kazan for the partying as much as the football. It’s like a Super Bowl on steroids. Just a crazy atmosphere.
SINNER
THERE is a racecourse here in Kazan and we have our suspicions about what happens to the slower horses. On Thursday, our restaurant was serving horse meat as part of a lunch platter. It tasted terrible.
SPOTTED
SOCCER boss David Gallop — wearing Changa Langlands-style white boots — in a social game in Moscow with FIFA president Gianni Infantino after its World Cup congress.
SPOTTED II
FOX Sports commentator Andy Harper doing a 5am hotel gym session in his 2006 Socceroos jersey which is still close to mint condition. It’s so precious, he hand washes the jersey after every wear.
SPOTTED III
THE largest high definition TV screen in the northern hemisphere (4030sq m) at the ground where the Socceroos played in Kazan. It makes the screens at Sydney’s grounds look like portable TVs.
SPOTTED IV
MUSIC legend Daryl Braithwaite belting out some fantastic old songs at a pre-game party for Socceroos supporters who are travelling with the Fanatics.
Downtown Kazan #2018WorldCup pic.twitter.com/7AuGmz4Wpd
— BUZZ ROTHFIELD (@BuzzRothfield) June 14, 2018
SPOTTED V
THERE are some good merchandise bargains at the World Cup. Your columnist picked up a half-price Italian polo shirt at Dubai airport on the way over only to be stopped and/or laughed at every five minutes about their failure to make it to the finals.
IT’S CURTAINS FOR SUPERFAN
MEET the World Cup’s most fanatical fan. He’s a 60-year-old American who is here in Russia for his 10th-straight World Cup despite the US failing to qualify.
Computer engineer Clifton Broumand has been to every tournament since Spain in 1982, always wearing his US jersey and proudly carrying an American flag.
Saturday night’s Socceroos game was the 145th World Cup game he has been to and by next week he will crack the 150 mark.
We met this remarkable character on the flight from Moscow to Kazan on Thursday.
He has survived a vicious mugging in South Africa and soccer hooligans around the world. Back home in Washington DC, he is known in the local media as “Superfan”.
He always travels on a tight budget, mostly on his own, staying in cheap bed and breakfast accommodation.
“I take one vacation every four years and it’s always to the World Cup,” he said.
“There is nothing else like it and I have met the most amazing people from so many different countries. The social aspect is as fun as the actual football.”
The cost-conscious Clifton even waits until game day to purchase his tickets at cheaper rates.
He refuses to pay exorbitant amounts for any of the official World Cup merchandise.
Caught in a wild storm in Brazil four years ago, the cheapest wet-weather jacket he could find was $140.
So he ventured off to find a Rio two-dollar store and purchased a shower curtain instead.
“The fans thought I was mad,” he said, “I cut a hole in the middle and pulled it down over my head to stay dry.
“I’m sure I’m the only man to ever wear a floral shower curtain to a World Cup game.”
Fan diary: @Socceroos fans are taking over Kazan as a sea of gold arrives ahead of clash with @FrenchTeam - https://t.co/9hOFp2T3It #GoSocceroos pic.twitter.com/gjZl4YZvOj
— Socceroos (@Socceroos) June 15, 2018
DAVID GALLOPS FAR AND WIDE
FROM Rio to Russia and Tokyo to Turkey, David Gallop estimates he has visited almost 50 countries in his time as the chief executive of Australian soccer.
The Socceroos, the Matildas, World Cups and FIFA conferences have taken him to so many places that you’d need an eight-page liftout to print all the passport stamps. Not a bad gig for a man who was sacked by rugby league’s former independent commission chairman John Grant before Frank Lowy snapped him up.
Gallop’s gig is obviously a lot bigger than spending weeks overseas living out of a suitcase, like here in Russia.
The recent decline in the A-League’s TV ratings and match-day attendances are as tough as any of the challenges he has faced as the country’s most experienced sporting administrator. He looks back fondly on his 20 years in rugby league from starting out as a young lawyer for Super League before advancing to CEO from 2002 to 2012.
“It was a period of so much change and often upheaval,” Gallop said. “I’m really proud that a small team of us regenerated the game.
“So many of the game’s current successes were established in that period.”
Gallop said the challenges facing the sport in Australia were what he enjoyed most.
“Football has a wonderful opportunity,” he said. “From the simplicity of the game at grassroots, the national competitions of the A-League and the W-League, to the global journey of the Socceroos and the Matildas, my agenda every day is uniquely broad in Australian sport.
“The game is rightfully aspirational but it is in the most competitive sports market in the world and managing expectations for quick growth is a challenge.
“Engagement with the multiculturalism of the nation and with the huge participation base from young boys and girls to veterans playing over-45s will see the game grow and grow in the next few decades. It is the only truly global game and, as the world gets smaller for all of us, football will get bigger and bigger.”
NO BOOZE, NO JUNK, REST EASY
THE Socceroos are on a strict alcohol and junk food ban as part of the most hi-tech sports science program for a touring Australian team here in Russia.
The players are even monitored while they sleep each night by wearing wristbands to bed which can reveal to the exact minute how long they have slept for.
(We might send some to Manly coach Trent Barrett for next time they are on an away trip to Gladstone.)
The Socceroos’ also undergo tests on urine and saliva levels are also checked each day to ensure premium game-day performances and the best recovery.
If any of the results are out of the normal criteria, the medical staff steps straight in.
FFA has even flown in the Socceroos’ own chef from the last World Cup campaign in Brazil to look after the players on sport’s biggest stage against the most professional athletes on the planet.
The highly researched program has been designed by the head of high performance Craig Duncan, the man in charge of the NSW Blues’ State of Origin team in 2014 when they finally ended the Maroons’ eight-year series domination. It was Duncan who hired Vinnie Capovilla, a Brazilian biologist and chef who now also looks after the Matildas wherever the girls travel.
“At this level the players are so professional and they know how to look after themselves,” Vinnie says, “but we have a no alcohol policy. Alcohol is the worst thing they can drink in recovery.”
McDonald’s might be one of FFA’s major sponsors but you won’t find the Socceroos at their restaurants while in Russia.
“The problem with fast food is it’s not the type of food but how it’s cooked,” Vinnie said. “If a player wants a chicken sniztel, I’ll make it from scratch. I’ll get the best chicken and fry it myself in a good olive oil.
“The same with hamburgers. I’ll source the best mince and buns. My own French fries are made from scratch in the good oil.
“It’s important I get to know the chefs at our hotels and that I can control the quality.”
TICKET TOPS
THE Socceroos are on a far better deal than rugby league’s State of Origin stars for securing tickets for family and friends. In Russia, the players get 10 free tickets for each match. The NSW Blues get six tickets for home games at ANZ Stadium but only four at Suncorp or the MCG. Anything on top of that, they have to purchase from the NRL.
PRICE IS RIGHT
WORLD Cup tickets are affordable for most games. You could have attended Saturday night’s Socceroos v France game in the cheap seats for under $50 — Category 1: $265; category 2: $230; category 3: $145; and category 4: $48. Prices rise towards the business end of the tournament when a good ticket to the final will cost you $1500.
MEET THE $275M MAN
TEENAGE French superstar Kylian Mbappe is soccer’s equivalent of our Kalyn Ponga — the hottest young star in the world game. And he’s worth more than the entire NRL salary cap for 16 clubs. Mbappe’s transfer from Monaco to French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain was worth $275 million. That’s $120m more than the NRL salary cap for 2018.
EARLY RISERS
A LOT of fans are complaining about how hard it is to get a good night’s sleep in Russia at this time of the year — their summer months. The sun rises before 3am and, unless you’ve got blackout curtains, your room is bathed in daylight for half the night.
IGOR WATCHING
SECURITY is unbelievably tight all over Russia. Our 12-seat van was stopped and searched on the way from the airport to the hotel and we had to produce our passports. There are even metal detectors and a body scanner as you walk in to McDonald’s. (Not that your columnist has eaten there — he’s sticking to a healthy diet for this gruelling two-week assignment).
A WORLD OF MEGA BUCKS
THE World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the TAB calendar, with expectations of $100 million betting splurge on the tournament. It’s a huge amount considering a seven-month NRL season holds $200 million.
When the first ball was kicked between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia on Friday, the TAB had over 5000 markets open on the tournament.
The Socceroos v France game — an ideal timeslot for Aussies and turnover — was expected to hold about $4 million, which is about the same as a State of Origin game.
NIKE A STEP AHEAD
ADIDAS may be an official sponsor of the World Cup but arch rival Nike has blown it out of the water in Russia. More than 63 per cent of players from around the world — including most of the Socceroos — are wearing Nike boots. Veteran Tim Cahill, who hits the pitch in New Balance, is a rare exception. Adidas has 22 per cent of the players, with the rest shared by Asics and Puma.