Lenin statue in the middle of Cup hoopla

When Lenin had a thirst for revolution, this is not what he had in mind.

Fans attending today’s World Cup final between France and Croatia will pass a huge statue of the Bolshevik Revolution’s leader as they enter the Luzhniki Stadium. Abutting the rear of the monument is a Budweiser concession stand with a sign proclaiming: “Drink smart today — celebrate tomorrow.”

Not exactly “no freedom can satisfy the masses suffering from hunger,” as Lenin wrote in 1917.

“I think that Lenin has rolled over in his grave so many times in the last 25 years that there’s probably friction burns on his corpse,” said Keith A. Darden, associate professor in the school of international service at American University in Washington.

On the front side of the sculpture sits another stand topped by a Visa advertisement, filled with World Cup licensed merchandise that include hoodies $96.

“Lenin would not like it one bit,” said Sergei Antonov, an assistant professor in the Yale history department who specializes in Russia and the Soviet Union after 1800 and the global history of capitalism.

Constructed in 1955-56, the venue originally was called Central Lenin Stadium. The path to the stadium from the Sportivnaya Metro station is filled with displays erected by FIFA partners and sponsors.

In Red Square, about 5 miles from the stadium and a short distance from Lenin’s tomb, FIFA and local organizers opened a temporary Football Park with games and amusement rides — and abundant corporate signage. It is near a string of boutiques for the haute bourgeoisie that include Cartier, Hermes, Tiffany and Versace.

“Lots of sort of stark contrasts,” said Mauricio Borrero, an associate professor in history at New York’s St. John’s University who is working on a biography of Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin. “Certainly the disparity, the contrast between the very wealthy people and the ones who sort of barely get by, that’s something that bothered him back in the early 20th century, would certainly bother him again.

“I think one thing you saw in the Soviet years was there wasn’t such a huge gap between the very wealthy and the very powerful and most of the people. It’s not that those disparities did not exist, it’s just that they weren’t visible.”