Tuesday, 26 September 2017

Michael Mifsud, a memory; Russia 2018 alternative slogan

Day -260 WorldCup2018

.....and Toronto Heatwave Fall 2017: Day 3...4?...5? Way too long. It's just odd. Questions of schools closing, people warned not to exercise, days taken off school to go swimming (that was us). And it's almost October.

And somebody, or many people, decided to hold a World Cup in Qatar. Good luck to the players. Well trained athletes or not, it's going to be brutally hot.

Ten years ago today Malta's biggest football star of recent years, Michael Mifsud, scored twice for Coventry in a 2-0 win over Man United at Old Trafford. It was a proud day for all Maltese fans. One of the defenders he tormented that night was Gerard Pique. He was never very highly rated at United. While Mifsud quickly fell out of favour at Coventry, had a transfer to Bristol City fall through, went to Australia for a disastrous short spell and ended up back in Malta, Pique went on to Barcelona and won a couple of Champions Leagues and World Cups. Ah well, we'll always have "our Michael" and that magical night.

World Cup tickets went on sale on September 14th. The cheapest ticket for a first round match, for foreigners, is $105, a 16% increase over the Brazil 2014 price. Russian residents can buy group match tickets for $15. That's an incredible and welcome benefit for Russian fans to have a World Cup in their country. But for foreigners, just as at any World Cup, it really is something for people with lots of money to spare or fans who consider it worth being is serious debt for.

But my guess is that it will be cheaper than Qatar. And not as hot. And not as difficult a country to get into. And you'll be able to have a drink. And go with your same sex partner. So go to Russia! That should be their slogan:"Come now, while you can. It'll be better than Qatar."

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