Football is the New Diplomacy as Ticket = Visa in Moscow

By: Daryl | May 6th, 2008

Remember how the Champions League Final was going to be a nightmare because it takes so long to get a Russian visa? There was pessimistic talk of Manchester United and Chelsea fans being unable to get their paperwork done in time and European club football’s showpiece event taking place in front of a half empty stadium in Moscow.

But that’s not going to happen now. Because Russia has waived visa entry requirements for fans entering the country with a valid match ticket.

The details are still being worked out, but Alexi Sorokin, the man responsible for organizing the big event has said: “A fan can come without a visa and…enter Russia with a valid ticket. It is an unprecedented decision by the Russian government.”

Indeed it is. The ticket’s only good for a 72 hour stay, but still. That’s pretty impressive. And without getting all emotional, it’s a testament to the power of the beautiful game when countries allow tickets to a sporting event to replace a visa. Yay football.

And it’s hopefully a two way street. Because, as it happens, the UEFA Cup final between Glasgow Rangers and Russia’s Zenit St. Petersburg is being held in England at the City of Manchester Stadium. Rangers fans won’t have any trouble getting there, but some Zenit fans could face the same paperwork problems Man Utd and Chelsea fans feared in Russia.

So Michel Platini has asked the UK government to do a like for like deal, and simplify the visa process for Zenit fans with a valid match ticket. If they say yes, then 2008 could go down as a great year for football. The year where a ticket to a game was as good as a visa and football briefly opened up international borders.