Former Russian football star and national team player Alexei Smertinas is happy that the country's football fans are taking big steps forward. The 2018 World Cup ambassador wiped tears of joy from his hands as he received the Confederations Cup tournament statistics, which showed that no racist or similar incidents were recorded in stadiums. "This is a good way to show that Russia is a welcoming country, which warmly welcomes every visitor. "I am convinced that you have already formed your opinion about our state," Smertinas said at the FIFA event in Kazan. "I know that we need to continue to work and educate people - our goal is to instill in them an open mindset, eliminate discrimination, and negative attitudes. "We need to go to the stadium to support our team, not to attack opponents. That is the goal of our message."
