The Russian Government and FIFA will implement a new technology to avoid cases like in Euro 2016

Leer en español: ¿Cómo espera Rusia acabar con las peleas de Hooligans?

Unlike the rest of the World Cups, Russia 2018 will demand a special identification document from fans who attend matches in a stadium. This is the Fan ID, a mandatory and non-transferable credential that will facilitate the massive entrance of attendees. Also, it intends to grant other benefits to its bearers.

This identification will have the basic information of the person such as name, age, nationality, and a photograph. The main objective is to streamline the flow of fans' income to the stadium and make sure that they occupy the purchased place. In addition, the Fun ID will replace the need for a visa required in customs controls and allows free access to public transport and trains that go to the stadiums during World Cup days.

The procedure to manage the credential is simple, free, and can be done through the Internet on the official Fan ID page . Both children and adults who have purchased a ticket to attend any of the games will have to request it. The identification is available for sending by mail to the whole world, or it can be claimed in different authorized centers in Russia.

A ball in space and a wolf of discord

The Fan ID will not be the only novelty at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The implementation of the VAR and the assistance of Peru, after almost 40 years of being outside the sporting event, are part of the list.

Kabivaka, the official mascot of the World Cup, also marked a milestone in Russia 2018, since it became the first mascot of a World Cup designed by students and voted by more than one million citizens. However, the choice of the wolf Kabivaka was overshadowed by criticism against FIFA, since at the time local media reported that the designer of the pet had only received $ 500 for the creation and now the sports organization is preparing to receive millions of dollars with the full rights of it.

On the other hand, the ball with which the 2018 World Cup of Russia will be inaugurated traveled to space with the crew of the Soyuz spacecraft MS-08 and the official mascot, Kabicaka, traveled to the Russian International Space Station. The official Telstar 18 ball has also been cataloged as the most innovative created for a World Cup. The element passed high quality standards approved by professional players of outstanding teams such as Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Manchester United, and Juventus.

The Telstar 18 has an integrated chip that allows interaction with the ball through a smartphone. When connected to the mobile, the user can receive a description of the product and information about the activities that were organized for the fans before the World Cup.

It is less than 80 days before the start of the FIFA World Cup. The 32 teams selected for the tournament will compete in 12 stadiums located in 11 Russian cities: among them Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Saransk, Sochi, and Volgograd.

Latin American Post | Krishna Jaramillo
Translated from “ ¿Cómo espera Rusia acabar con las peleas de Hooligans?”