“Andrey Arshavin, tell me, how did you feel when you played poker at Liverpool?” – the young man mumbled a little embarrassed into the microphone, addressing the legend. Volgograd, about 30°C outside. Arshavin, Zhirkov, Aldonin are sitting on the Volga embankment and answering questions from fans.
The biggest and most pleasant surprise was the crowd of children. This same boy, a few minutes before the start, was very animatedly communicating with his older brother. He was showing him something on his phone, I looked closer: Arshavin’s goals were spinning there. Parallel to this were stories about the coldness of our star. This impressed the boy, because children are the best detectors of interest: when they get bored, they immediately divert their attention. This was not the case here. And when the famous footballer appeared on the stage of the amphitheater with the Super Bowl, the boy jumped up and, together with the others, began to shout and applaud. Volgograd really has a special attitude towards football, although in the last 20 years the team was only once in the elite. But thanks to its strong background, the interest manages to be maintained. Although I still don’t understand how.
***
On previous trips, I remembered a very simple fact: here you can talk about football with any taxi driver. It is true that any conversation, when you tell them what you do, ends with a request. “Can you help me with a ticket?” – a young man of about 23 years old asked me as we drove away from the airport. Before that, he said that he attends almost all of Rotor’s matches, meets 20 thousand other people and how the city changes on the day when the local team plays matches. When I asked about the results, there were only deep sighs. “I understand everything, but I just can’t help but root for this team. My father went to their matches, my grandfather too. Tradition or something like that,” he said. I didn’t have time to buy a ticket for the Super Bowl and the prices were very different from those we were used to in the city. It’s one thing to go for 300-400 rubles, but when you have to pay two or three times more, it’s already out of the budget. In the regions, it’s always calculated carefully. On the day of the match, buyers who outbid even gave away tickets for a price of 8,000 rubles. So, there is no judgment. But the guy said that he would support Zenit – the city has a historically warm attitude towards it. The connection was especially strengthened in the 2000s, when the inhabitants of Volgograd wished St. Petersburg victory over Spartak: a common enemy is the best way to generate mutual sympathy.
At the time of this ordinary conversation, I thought: five or eight years ago, when I traveled to different regions, I caught myself thinking that most people don’t care about Russian football. And the teams are watched mainly in European competitions. But the European leagues were highly appreciated. If you play for Real or Manchester United, you are great. And your intra-football social status is higher. And something internal in Russia is second class. At best, an advantage, but not a priority. And it is as if only now, when Russia is in a bathhouse, the situation is beginning to change.
How Zenit won the Super Cup
What a car Glushenkov is! Zenit easily defeated Krasnodar in the Super Cup
On the plane from St. Petersburg I met an old friend. He is one of the same canonical Madrid fans who support the club of his childhood. He has always been indifferent to Zenit and other clubs. It was unpopular to support something like that. And then I started seeing his photos from different stadiums in Russia. He says he is stuck. I liked the atmosphere, the movement around the match, I even started reading the news. It is true that he is a fan of Krasnodar. And that is why I flew to Volgograd. He talks less and less about Real Madrid. Our people have become closer.
***
The day before the match in Volgograd, everything was connected with football. Lots of posters, lots of guys with roses from three clubs, who together climbed the Motherland monument. In an extremely friendly atmosphere. Although it looked a bit surreal: a man with a Rotor scarf explained to the Zenit and Krasnodar players why their clubs were so-so, but his was special. People traveled to Volgograd from neighboring cities, for example, guys were seen with the Fakel flag. Although the Super Bowl is perceived as an exhibition tournament, it is a great opportunity to diversify everyday leisure time. The city is not only about football, but also about great history.
What happened in the champion’s locker room
Maybe Zenit is tired of trophies? Or is it something else?
The organizers tried too hard, sometimes even too hard. Inviting three or four star performers and holding some nice pre-match activities near the arena is great. Setting up a magnificent stage in the middle of the field is also exciting. However, this often leads to problems. For example, when the teams had already entered the field, the stage was urgently cleaned, although not very quickly. They started playing five minutes late, with something resembling confetti still lying on the grass. They say that the players and coaches of both teams were upset about this. There was also a problem during the break: at first they spent a long time looking for the person who would shoot from the middle of the field and win a million, then it took too long to do so. Kukuyan had to light up, because the break was getting longer and the show was going on. Obligations to sponsors. There is nothing you can do.
Do you know what all this reminded me of at some point? National leagues for any sport in the USA. They live there in select isolation and play sports for their audience. And the professional leagues have long since become a commercial abyss. You’ve probably heard the news about the 25 minutes Shakira asked for during the Copa America break? And they gave it to her. Because people come to football not just for football. And that’s right.
After the ban, we are gradually moving in this direction. Luxurious pre- and post-match programs, a lot of aggressive sponsorship activities and bright advertising. And it helps! Using the example of Volgograd, we see that one can care about Russian football in a certain region from childhood. And even create idols within the country, and not outside its borders.
This transformation goes unnoticed unless you look closely. Great matches, trophies, an almost unchanged champion. All this is a big shell under which there was previously no clear future. It is becoming clearer now.
