Monkey business in absence of mascot
YOU can’t be too careful in Baku. A monkey and a bear have been loitering for most of the week near the plastic Euro 2020 ‘monuments’ in the central Fountain Square and though neither wore the logo, they seemed sure to be tournament mascots because they were very busy.
In the interests of research, photographs were requested. The monkey actually suggested a selfie. And then the hustle began. ‘Money, money,’ said the monkey, when the picture was taken, rubbing his thumb and index finger together. ‘ What’s your name?’ I asked. ‘Monkey,’ he said. ‘Azerbaijan Monkey.’
Research reveals that the actual Euro 2020 mascot is ‘Skillzy’, a ‘Humanoid’ cartoon type figure with a topknot. He has not been seen in Baku. YOU only have to switch the TV on here to see that Baku is by no means obsessed with football or the Euros. The Gary Lineker of Azerbaijani TV introduced live coverage of Italy v Turkey with a football placed on his studio desk. Just to be clear what was about to go on.
The daily Futbol+ newspaper seemed the perfect accompaniment to the opening Saturday of the tournament. But the front page was dominated by t he Brazilian Kady Luri Borges Malinowski signing for local club Qarabag from Coritiba on a three-year-deal. Azerbaijan striker Mahir Emreli was all over page three. The Euros page was tucked in towards the back. Just beyond a piece on Brentford. THE Wales FA have been trying to find a way of sitting players down in the shade to do socially-distanced interviews at the Tofiq Bahramov stadium training base. Logistics are tight. The football people don’t want journalists all over the place. Safe to assume it’s the first time Joe Allen has been questioned by a reporter standing in a long jump pit. THE fans who made it for Baku’s first match — Wales v Switzerland yesterday — were so few and far between that they’ve spent more time being approached by TV crews than sampling the sights. Two Swiss fans, Laurent Chatapny and Christian Dousse, have become minor celebrities in their uncomfortably nylon red suits and flag. ‘ We wore them to Russia in 2018 and it was successful,’ said Mr Chatapny. ‘But we didn’t expect this.’ IT’S official: Gareth Bale is more famous than Wales. A local woman swept past with four words of English, as our group ate in a Domino’s pizza joint a short distance from the Caspian Sea on Thursday night. ‘Good luck Gareth Bale.’