Russia ready to wow the world

Ambassador Tatarinov confident his country will deliver a safe and spectacular World Cup

Russia's Ambassador to Singapore, Andrey Tatarinov, is adamant that his country will not follow in the footsteps of previous World Cup host nation Brazil and allow the tournament's facilities to become white elephants.
Russia's Ambassador to Singapore, Andrey Tatarinov, is adamant that his country will not follow in the footsteps of previous World Cup host nation Brazil and allow the tournament's facilities to become white elephants. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

His eyes sparkled when he recounted how he and his friends squeezed into a director's office along the Black Sea coast during a summer youth camp 52 years ago to watch the Soviet Union football team, featuring the legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin, reach the semi-finals of the 1966 World Cup.

Football's global showpiece holds a special place in Andrey Tatarinov's heart and the Russian Ambassador to Singapore will be beaming with pride when his country hosts the 2018 World Cup from June 14 to July 15.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 31, 2018, with the headline Russia ready to wow the world. Subscribe