Small nights make sleep an issue
This is one of the world’s great cities, a magical mix of colours and canals that sparkle, especially in June, when the sun does not dip behind the Baltic Sea until around midnight. Visitors and residents wander the streets and embankments through the small hours of what is night during the rest of the year but these days is just a brief dawn.
The nearly uninterrupted light this far north acts as a kind of human power plant, continuously fuelling millions of bodies but preventing them from getting the signals they need to begin the daily wind down that eventually leads to sleep.
These so-called White Nights make St Petersburg during the World Cup a truly captivating place to be but a potentially problematic location for players, especially those whose teams are based here.
The tension of the competition robs them of rest, and shouldering the weight of the country they represent can be nerve-racking. Factor in the almost never-ending light, and the result is an under-rested team whose players’ bodies have no idea what time it is when kickoff arrives. “It’s strange, but it’s nice,” said Costa Rica captain Bryan Ruiz. “We have to close the curtains around 10:30 or 11. Otherwise, we cannot sleep.”
The temptation to get up and leave the hotel is strong, he said.
St. Petersburg and its environs are playing host to seven matches
ST PETERSBURG:
and five teams during the tournament: Costa Rica, England, Croatia, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Andy Walker, a spokesman for England’s Football Association, said officials took special care to address the sleep issue in the months leading up to the competition. “We had the hotel install the extra thick curtains, made of special material,” Walker said.
The team also brought in special mattresses to maximise comfort. The training staff also has plenty of eye shades available should players need them. Who will win today's match between Nigeria and Argentina?