WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN RUSSIA FIT FOR FAMILY
FIRSTLY, full credit to Danny Rose, it was fantastic that he came out and spoke about his battle with depression. Fair play to him for that. But in terms of his decision to tell his family not to travel to Russia over fears they will be racially abused, I’m afraid I have to disagree with him there.
I’m not dismissing Rose’s experiences with racism – everybody’s own experience on that front is unique to them.
But if he’d spoken to me or any of the other black or Asian journalists who have been to Russia in the last year, I’m pretty certain we’d have all told him not to worry.
I’d have said, ‘Take your family, Danny, get them in a nice hotel in Moscow, and I’ll go and have a cup of coffee with them, show them around, and they will see thousands of other black people getting warm welcomes from the locals’.
Unfortunately, Rose’s decision has been jumped upon by some media outlets and has upheld a stereotype which is unfair on a nation of 146million people.
It’d be a bit like a Russian saying, ‘I’m not going to a World Cup in England because of Brexit or Tommy Robinson’, and I’d be extremely disappointed by that.
I’m back in Russia now and have been twice in the past couple of weeks, and I can tell you everyone here is getting excited.
And when people get to Moscow they will see beautiful parks, lively restaurants and sports bars, and what a great city it is.
My favourite World Cup was 2006 in Germany and this already has a similar feel.
Fans will feel like they could be walking around Stuttgart, Cologne or Berlin when they reach their cities of choice here.
FOUR years ago in Brazil, we witnessed a counter-attacking World Cup with really good, pacy teams getting at each other all the way through the tournament.
There were big surprises, not least when Germany beat the hosts 7-1 in the semifinals in Belo Horizonte.
This time out new kids on the block such as Iceland, Costa Rica and Panama will only add to the party and they will take scalps.
Thousands of fans will descend on Russia this week from all corners of the globe, not least those from South America who will undoubtedly ramp up the carnival atmosphere.
It promises to be a memorable four weeks, one great big party, and my sincere hope for the tournament is that the quality of football is every bit as high, if not higher, than it was in Brazil. So here goes... here are my predictions for Russia 2018. I’M struggling to see beyond GERMANY after watching their preparations this time last year at the Confederations Cup. The common consensus is they could have put out three different teams – one experienced, one middling and one young – and not many nations can say that. Any country that can drop Leroy Sane has to be taken very seriously, he would arguably be our most important player if he qualified for England, which gives you an idea of Germany’s strength. A lot of people fancy BRAZIL and they could win, although I’m not buying into all the hype around them yet. Tite has turned things round very well since that thumping by Germany but the Neymar effect can be overpowering because it’s all about him. Germany have quality throughout their squad and can make changes that Brazil simply can’t. BELGIUM have to be in with a shout but will they come good? That’s the question many of us are asking... again. Four years ago, they let everybody down, so it will be interesting to see if Roberto Martinez can get the best out of their great individual talents. POLAND are another nation who could cause an upset. I was in Warsaw two weeks ago and there is very much a feeling that their squad is hungry with quality throughout. They have a superstar in Robert Lewandowski and a feeling that the group could be relatively straightforward. If they get momentum from the group phase they could go a long, long way. NEYMAR, because of the break he has had – it’s going to be like a new season for him. He will feel good at a time when a lot of players have had to find that really awkward balance between staying in tip-top shape and not feeling flogged. It’s about time one of the Belgians came good as well – perhaps KEVIN DE BRUYNE with a couple of goals and assists to help get them to the final.