England legend gives Russia’s £3-a-dollop ketchup a red card
ENGLAND football legend Terry Butcher has warned fans travelling to the World Cup to take their own ketchup – because Russian restaurants charge £3 a dollop.
The former defender had a stand-up row with waiters over the extortionate cost of the relish.
Terry, 59, who is working as a TV pundit at the tournament, nipped into a Moscow diner for a Caesar salad and fries when the sticky problem arose.
He said: “I had some naughty fries, so I thought I’d ask for ketchup.
“So they brought the ketchup and I had a cola and some coffee – lovely.
“Great meal – really enjoyed it – and I got the bill and I said, ‘What’s this charge here?’ And they said it was for the ketchup!
“I said, ‘no, no, no, you can’t charge me for the ketchup’. “The waitress said, ‘yes we do’.” The waitress then called the restaurant manager over.
“He said yes, they charge £2 or £3 for ketchup,” Terry said.
“But for me it wasn’t the money, it was the principle.
“I said, ‘It’s not on the menu and if it’s not on the menu I can’t pay for it because I don’t know the price’.
“So we had a big argument – standup argument – and my temper was getting worse and worse. They took it off, to be fair, because they admitted it wasn’t on the menu. “So I was happy. I won.” He then spoke to other diners, who confirmed that it is common in Russia to charge for ketchup.
“So listen,” Terry warned. “Anybody in Russia, do not ask for ketchup because you have to pay for the stuff.
“Just get a bottle, sneak it in your pocket and put it on the plate.
“And anybody now – if they mention ketchup to me, I’m going to hit them.’’
The former Ipswich Town and Glasgow Rangers defender was capped 77 times for his country over a 10-year spell.