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Mexicans
are not the only ones involved in scandals outside the field during the FIFA World Cup in Russia .
Or at least that seems to be the case in Moscow , where I have been covering the World Cup for 12 days. All the beastliness is perpetrated by fans from several other countries though, of course, whenever there is a Mexican involved, it usually causes a major scandal in our country, like in the case of the fan that went missing for two whole days while getting epically wasted. However, Francisco Javier Mata has played a minimal part among fans’ excesses in Russia .
In Mexico, no one seems to mention that several Russian people were seen dancing naked, drunk, and most likely tripping on drugs around public fountains, celebrating their team’s victory and their reaching the quarterfinals. The Mexican media has also failed to report the multiple accidents caused by Argentinian fans , who seemed to take it upon themselves to exhaust the vodka supply in the city and that, due to their inebriated state, were seen climbing buildings and restaurants to cheer for their team from high places.
There are Arabs as well who have occupied public squares , threatening and intimidating bystanders. Some Japanese have taken a liking to smoking in places where they’re not supposed to, and have also proven to be true drinking machines . It’s not just the Mexicans. Though of course, misbehavior tends to raise more concern when it involves a fellow countryman. To make things worse, Mexicans have a history of rowdiness at the World Cup.
No one could have imagined that the Russians would break their own rules during the Cup, like the time when a man threw himself from a lamp post and survived by miracle. Convulsing, he was taken to the hospital; in addition to the blow to the head, the patient had an extremely high dose of alcohol and drugs in his bloodstream.
The streets are flooded to a point where the crowds can’t be controlled at certain moments of the day. According to authorities, there is a beer shortage in the city as well as a food shortage. They never imagined that the World Cup would result in excessive consumption by thousands of people that have come to support their national teams. It is estimated that there are around 80,000 Peruvians, 40,000 Mexicans, and 50,000 Colombians , to mention a few. World Cups usually target rich amateurs; playoffs are where the true soccer fans are. Most of the people attending are more like Chava Iglesias than actual sports fans.
I just want to make it clear that Mexicans are not the only fans to cross the line in regard to misbehavior. This turmoil has been caused by the Russian police’s laxity. It never occurred to them to close certain streets, which has already caused a massive trampling. The person driving wasn’t Mexican, thank you very much.
There is also the fact that there is a hidden prostitution network which everyone has discovered through Tinder. That wasn’t caused by Mexicans, though perhaps some of them have taken advantage of it.
English version by David Morales
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