Moscowball
written here by Phil Wake
Group shot post game with the Torpedo Zil youth team
What a storming game of football we have just played… Post Moscow derby match between Locomotive (“Loco, Loco”) and Torpedo Zil, we gathered signatures on our World Cup ball, like football star trainspotters (a small bottle of ‘nail lacquer’ to protect) and attracted a crowd of young up and coming Torpedo stars whose trainer was only too happy to agree to their demands of an England/Russia showdown on the training ground across the car park.
| Torpedo Zil!We go to watch our first game, but have more fun playing our first game of the trip afterwards Duration: 2min 33sec |
The training ground and Roman, beautifully confident before the game
So I threw my Spartak WANKA (shaika, bobble hat bought yesterday) to one side and joined in the 6/7/8 aside. Blimey, could they play or what! The smallest of them, Roman was well gifted so I took him out early doors and we beat ‘em hollow….wrong… he was on my side actually and we linked beautifully now and again and all in all the game was played in a fantastic spirit, England, Russia and peace thrown off several pigeon English tongues.
Post photo session it was back on with my WANKA and head off to this ’round the corner from Red Square’ net cafe.
We were given tickets to the Moscow derby courtesy of Richard, friend and colleague of our Moscow sponsor Fraser Lawson. He also sorted tickets for us to see Spartak Moscow, where I picked up me hat and we also nearly lost the ball to an army lad who assumed we had nicked it from the stadium as they were using the Adidas World Cup ball too!
| Spartak!We visit the Luzhniki Stadium and are surprised on many counts Duration: 2min 10sec |
My WANKA, me and the Spartak ‘Luzhniki’ Stadium
Young Spartak fans
A Spartak player signs the ball
Fan with Spartak flag
Another Spartak player (we think it’s Titov, the captain)
will says:
April 8th, 2002 at 10:11 am
lads, what happens when your ball has no more room for
signatures – will you kick it around till more room appears?
and i’m interested to know what you’ve been eating in Moss
Cow with the shooters?
Chris says:
April 9th, 2002 at 4:58 pm
Spot on Will… the ball is looking somewhat bedraggled after our kickabout with the Torpedo-Zil kids… but I like the idea that as it travels, it gains a kind of archaology of signatures. Not os much an encrustation of the years, but of distance. One day somebody might be able to reconstruct all the signatures, but for now they remain ephemeral.
As for food – isn’t that for wimps
Ben says:
April 9th, 2002 at 5:16 pm
Chris, if you’re still saying ‘food is for wimps’ in a month’s time when you’re crossing China, I’ll eat this keyboard!
Chris says:
April 9th, 2002 at 5:38 pm
Um, er, actually, the food’s great, if you like pickles, sausage and dark brown bread. Just so happens that it seems to lead to an excess of flatulence, and not just verbal…
Rob says:
April 10th, 2002 at 2:39 pm
Lets see some food photos for us foodies!
Kevin says:
April 10th, 2002 at 4:09 pm
Lads, get in contact with me if you want an article in The Moscow Times.
Kevin O’Flynn