The governor of the Russian city that was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, wants to stage a “peace match” between the Russian and German national soccer teams in the lead-up to the 2018 World Cup.
Although there have been no formal discussions about the match taking place, Andrei Bocharov, the governor of the Volgograd region, said he would like the two nations to meet in a friendly international marking the official opening of the Victory Stadium.
“We would welcome such a match here, it would be a match of peace,” Bocharov told reporters at the construction site. “I am sure that a match such as Germany against Russia would capture the public’s imagination in this city and I am sure the demand for tickets would be far greater than the capacity the stadium could hold.”
Photo: Reuters
One of 12 venues that will host World Cup matches in 2018, the Victory Stadium is due to be completed in late 2017, with seating for 45,000 spectators.
The new stadium will replace the now-demolished Central Stadium, the home of Rotor Volgograd, and is being built on land where the Battle of Stalingrad took place between Soviet and Nazi German troops.
During building works, the remains of two Red Army soldiers were discovered in an underground bunker and reburied with full military honors, while unexploded bombs and other ordnance have been found and made safe.
“We would be happy to have the match here between Russia and Germany after the stadium is finished at the end of 2017,” Bocharov said. “The match could of course be played during the World Cup, either way it would be a match of peace, but if it was the opening match at the stadium, that would be a very interesting and that would be the match of peace.”
There was no immediate response to Bocharov’s proposal from either the German or Russian soccer associations, but Bocharov said he would raise the idea with Russian Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko, who would need to approve the fixture.
Germany, who won last year’s World Cup in Brazil, have often played warm-up matches in countries hosting the biggest international tournaments and any match between the defending champions and hosts would be a major drawcard.
Germany and Russia have played each other just twice on Russian soil, both times in Moscow, but a game in Volgograd, formerly known as Stalingrad, would be highly symbolic.
The Battle of Stalingrad took place from August 1942 until February 1943, involving millions of troops, but was eventually reduced to hand to hand fighting in the rubble of the city that was almost totally destroyed.
“There are a lot of close ties between Germany and Russia now, but a match at this new stadium would be very special,” Bocharov said.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS