SHOULDER INJURY RULES OUT TUNISIA GOALIE
MOSCOW: Tunisia goalkeeper Mouez Hassen’s World Cup is over after just 16 minutes of action due to an injured shoulder suffered in Monday’s 2-1 loss to England, team officials said. Hassen was forced off early in Volgograd and will not recover in time to continue in the tournament. The injury occurred when Hassen collided with England midfielder Jesse Lingard and he was replaced by Farouk Ben Mustapha.
Burger King says sorry for Russian pregnancy ad
MOSCOW: Burger King says it’s sorry for offering a lifetime supply of Whoppers to Russian women who get pregnant from World Cup players. Critics assailed the offer, announced on Russian social media, as sexist and demeaning. The announcement was removed from Burger King’s social media on Tuesday. It promised a reward to women who get “the best football genes” and “ensure the success of the Russian team for generations to come.” The fast food company posted a Russian-language statement on local network Vkontakte saying “we offer apologies for the announcement we made. It was too offensive.”
Danes fly teammate home to see newborn daughter
SAMARA: Denmark’s players clubbed together so defender Jonas Knudsen could fly home on a private jet to see his new-born daughter shortly after the win over Peru in their first match at the World Cup. Knudsen’s wife Trine gave birth to a girl several weeks earlier than expected after he had already arrived in Russia. In a gesture of team unity, the players decided to pay for the jet to fly Knudsen home shortly after the 1-0 victory against Peru in Group C on Saturday.
Asylum seekers trying to enter using fan papers
ST PETERSBURG: Asylum seekers from Morocco, Nigeria, China and elsewhere have tried to enter Europe illegally from Russia using World Cup fan identity documents, police said on Wednesday. They entered Russia using World Cup tickets and fan identity cards, which Moscow accepts instead of visas during the tournament. Then they headed for the border with Finland or Norway or the Belarusian border with Poland. Since the tournament began on Thursday, five asylum seekers, of Nigerian, Moroccan and Chinese nationality, have crossed into Finland from Russia.