KALININGRAD, Russia, June 15, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Former World Cup semi-
finalists Croatia take on African powerhouses Nigeria in the Russian exclave
of Kaliningrad on Saturday in their opening Group D match that may prove a
test of the organisers’ anti-racism drive.
It’s a 20 years since Croatia surged to the final four at France ’98 with
a resounding quarter-final win over favourites Germany, and fans will be
buoyed by a squad brimming with attacking talent.
Nigeria, long one of African football’s underachievers, boast several
players with English Premier League pedigree, and will hope they can secure
only their second win in their last 12 World Cup matches.
The stage for Saturday’s clash is Kaliningrad, a thickly forested outpost
of Russia wedged between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea — a
potentially challenging location for some fans to reach.
FIFA’s official site showed tickets still available 24 hours before kick-
off.
Saturday will also prove a crucial test for FIFA’s anti-discrimination
drive, with tension running high in the build-up to the tournament over a
spate of recent incidents.
Racism has plagued Russian football since clubs began purchasing foreign
players after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.