Russia: From 2018 World Cup host to global pariah

On the broadside of a building, a mile and a fractional from the Kremlin a giant, multi-coloured mural marks a Russian sporting achievement.

At full-stretch, goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is shown redeeming a punishment against Spain successful the 2018 World Cup. Victory successful that lucifer sent big federation Russia done to the quarter-finals, sparking jubilation crossed the country.

Four years on, it's a precise antithetic picture.

Russia has gone from a World Cup big and quarter-finalist to planetary pariah.

Following the Kremlin's penetration of Ukraine, football's governing bodies Fifa and Uefa suspended Russian clubs - and the nationalist squad - from each competitions. Other planetary sporting federations person besides shown Russia the reddish card.

Isolation from satellite athletics is 1 of the galore consequences of Russia's warfare successful Ukraine.

The Russians whitethorn not beryllium competing successful Qatar. But backmost location they're watching.

"There's large involvement present successful the World Cup," says Moscow writer Sergei Buntman. "A batch of radical are watching it connected TV. Some of them ticker due to the fact that they emotion football. Others ticker to instrumentality their minds disconnected the unspeakable concern with Ukraine."

Match TV, the transmission broadcasting the World Cup successful Russia, is assured the tourney volition present it a ample audience.

"It's a ratings success. The viewing figures person exceeded each expectations," Match TV commentator Georgiy Cherdantsev tells me.

"Traditionally, Russian fans similar watching England, Germany and Spain - countries whose nationalist championships they follow.

"If Italy had qualified, galore Russians would person supported them. Messi and Ronaldo are peculiar cases: similar everyplace other successful the world, they person their ain idiosyncratic supporters here. Serbia's popular, too, amongst our alleged 'active shot fans' with adjacent ties to Serb fans," Mr Cherdantsev says.

I often deliberation backmost to 2018, erstwhile this state hosted the World Cup.

For 1 glorious month, Russia showed what it tin be: welcoming, open, friendly, inclusive.

It felt arsenic if a intermission fastener had been pressed and each tensions with the West - over, for example, the Salisbury poisonings - had abruptly disappeared. Foreign shot fans partied successful the streets. Even the policemen appeared to beryllium successful a bully mood.

In the run-up to that tourney I retrieve attending a peculiar grooming people for Russian railway staff. They were being taught however to grin astatine foreigners. Russia cared astir its image. Or, astatine least, it seemed to.

Today, there's small motion of welcoming, affable oregon inclusive. In June, 4 months aft Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told me: "Russia is not squeaky clean. Russia is what it is. And we are not ashamed of showing who we are."

In different words, we don't attraction what you deliberation of us. It's a fitting slogan for today's Russia. No much smiling classes then.

Where did things spell truthful wrong?

"You request to inquire Putin that," says Mr Buntman, "but Russia was already connected the mode to wherever we are now.

"We were already heading towards isolation, aggression and xenophobia. We'd had a warfare with Georgia, past Crimea happened and warring successful the Donbas. Russia had already begun shutting itself disconnected politically," helium adds.

And what of Moscow's Luzhniki stadium?

At World Cup 2018, it was the venue for the opening lucifer and the final.

This year, successful the aforesaid stadium, President Vladimir Putin held a elephantine governmental rally successful enactment of his subject violative successful Ukraine.

From sporting venue to "special subject operation". How priorities person changed.

Outside the stadium, astir of the radical I chat to archer maine they are pursuing World Cup 2022.

"But I privation Russia was playing," Eduard tells me. "If we can't instrumentality portion successful planetary competitions, we can't amended the prime of our sport."

"I recognize we're not determination due to the fact that of the war. But I deliberation you should support authorities retired of sport," Viktor says. "It's incorrect that Russia are not astatine the World Cup."

Might 1 period of World Cup broadcasts assistance alteration the Russian public's cognition of countries that authorities propaganda present has been moving hard to demonise?

Hardly a time goes by without Russian authorities media accusing Britain, the US and the EU of everything from "anti-Russian sentiment" to plotting Russia's downfall.

But what if Russians are cheering connected Harry Kane and England? Does that alteration anything?

"Many radical present person a benignant of schizophrenia oregon divided personality," explains Mr Buntman.

"Someone tin walk 90 minutes praising Harry Kane and wanting him to people much goals for England. Then, the adjacent day, the aforesaid idiosyncratic tin ticker the main propagandists connected Russian TV and past kick astir evil British policies."