the final round of the group stage is set to get going at the fateful world cup with portugal and spain looking to seal qualification and hosts russia make your required to decide who finishes top in group. i. give newcomers panama a master class to reach the last sixteen of the tournament and colombia keep their chances alive after. i. start of another week here and i'll see of moscow it's monday the twenty fifth of june i'm calling bright with your round of

a global news. we're going to get right on it to go live to neil who's in samarra on the banks of the volgograd russia will play europe two hours from now he's there with the russian sports minister. yeah hello thanks for the call and welcome to a glorious day and believe me it is very hot here around thirty four degrees right now but it feels even more yet. coming into the drawing here i'm delighted to say that we have the russian sports minister. himself you're very welcome pavel thanks so much for taking the time so there we have a week stage of game. before world cup russia's first what's your verdict on it so far. well this is going to. be in many reviews from the fans and the organizers and now the media from many cunt. the world cup has been very well organized and

the team put up a great performance and it terms of organization and we are ready you can see the fans are so excited so we are satisfied. hosting i world cup for the first time it's a mammoth undertaking i would say one of the main challenges being for russia. actual said ok well you know hosting such major events is a very tremendous task first we had to set up the infrastructure ninety five sports venues. for twelve stadia. into the body of your thirty two russian regions that are were involved in hosting the world cup so first of all we had to set up the infrastructure that had to be up and running then organizing of the cup. just imagine because there are

a lot of foreign fans coming to russia all of this stage packed with care so you need to create the right kind of environment the festival for full fans there are no minor things it's a very complicated process but russia practicability so a lot of experience in hosting major events in two thousand and fourteen. winter olympics for the world cup certainly is an unprecedented event. so it's a nationwide event. judging by the number of fans who have come here and all the parties the celebrations on the street it seems out there are many more foreign fans who have come with high tech it's can you give us a sense of the amount of fans who are in russia for this tournament. is that. just a little small. your question about that will draw the conclusion as follows in the

world cup when we see the sadistic so many of the fans visit this stage many fans went to the bars. venues where it's fifty fifty four of those who came into the stadium those who stay outside here in such numbers and we have read we're talking hundreds of thousands into the millions what do you think about the negative in really media coverage that was built up particularly in the west before this this scare stories. how was that changed if at all in the first eleven days that you have seen of this turn of. the bulletin here you put it out there definitely. we didn't like reading those stories we tried to ignore it we were convinced that separate thing would say place

in a friendly environment you know that russia is a very hospitable country we love to pose for and fans. but we try to. the best kind of conditioning so whatever we don't to be seen. here. and again there are have been almost no negative reviews in the press so right now there's been a lot of positive coverage so that's what we want to see what we're trying to achieve we're trying to provide situate friendly atmosphere of the best world cup in history. a world cup of in many ways. it's russia's first world cup you have coming here who are able to travel freely to cities at with their fun id free public transport that's another first but also video video assistant referee at v a our. being implemented for the first time at

this world cup how do you think it's been used so far but. you can get away the speed of that is your right as you said i was used to first for the first time have been a lot of so far. but it allows for a visa free entry for the fans but i think it's the first pro and it's also you're in sheets of the stadium and you can also travel freely between the posts using dedicated trying this and then almost packed. this is one of the most important factors to create that friendly atmosphere and facilities and surely the stadium talking of the v a are implemented by feet it's too early to draw any conclusions see the the many process the bins carnes. have to do homework after

the world cup and it's up to the fans to the football players to the coaches they have to judge it's job to make the game exciting and the end result should not be. like a lot of other world cup host cities and thinking of the likes of. which traditionally what i see a lot of international at most recent artists and herds and that's. how important it is that for people here to embrace it like they have and get to see other cultures and get to meet so many fans from all across the world is that something really important for you this tournament because it was. absolutely. a party but i think that's the goal of a major event we need to demonstrate. to show the hospitality. you know.

when you have imagined that about ten thousand colombians would come to the country . fifty five thousand sort of. it's like. you have five thousand fans from iceland so it's a great opportunity to get soon know the country to gas your own impression of the country. from the media. firsthand experience that is most valuable another topic while you're here i'd like to get your take on the head of. the united states anti-doping agency said last week and this was during the world cup here that russian football i should be tested more for doping offenses first of all your reaction and secondly why did you expect something like that to occur. because he was i surly there will be statements like this. for the head of you

are often makes it strange provoking cvs statements. hurts time to get accustomed to it but it's fee for who's in charge of the world cup. investigation. not have any. claims to the russian team to the russian players so i think it's up to the organizers to fee for to rule on this so don't want to comment on it so don't want to comment on. the u.s. . they should rather stick to their own policy inside the u.s. better leave it to feed fire into the international olympic committee. and just on the legacy of this world cup what do you think it's going to be in the future and people look back on this tournament for russia.

right that must be the word legacy could be different this could be material the tangible and non-tangible. but you're both are talking of. the legacy that we're discussing right now out of hundreds of thousands of foreign fans have come to russia and definitely. russian people will have their memory. that i see but look at the bill remember the games russia woods read china all the infrastructure all that wonderful venue's. city cities have improved their infrastructure the transport infrastructure for that it's very important to. put in the. countries that have never hosted such big events it's helps to drive the call of the. countries to. people from other countries

so we'll can be free for decision to hose to the world cup in russia and in other countries it's a great opportunity to put your best foot forward to rise up to the challenge so for us it's a biggest festival the biggest football celebration sport celebrations that people can only imagine the game of today we're looking at russia versus europe wife or a group or a supremacy in the world cup now some weeks ago if i had said to a lot of people here that russia could finish top of group a they may have looked quite strange to me how do you think they're going to do today and also in general do you think that congo further in this tournament it will be tough but is there a chance at work here. talk here. because well overall i would like to tell you that we have. been teams in the world. with us that each team puts. before human. every game has been

exciting. and we haven't seen any. draws. it was at least one goal scorer in each of the games sinestro trenches been really strong physically. and the germans tracing an attacking style of football. we believed in our team. you can see there have been a lot of fans found fast venue's packed. we believe in our team. we are convinced our side very good chances are very good chance to advance to the next round so. we have to prepare for. the match. being our next lot of unexpected results were in favor of the last. side when. one's even more

a team that's assisted by the twelve player the so-called twelfth player the fans so we really hope for a positive outcome of today's match. well we won't have to wait too long to find died in less than a few hours russia versus your picks off here at the beautiful arena we've been speaking to the minister of sport pavol kolob we thank you so much for your time this hour very interesting thank you back to you. ok and thanks very much for that we'll check in with you again when that match starts for now i suggest you get some shade of the breaking out there pay with him later on now day twelve of the fifa world cup it is all for team from group getting ready for kick off in a little under two hours time that your gripe russia game will determine who takes first place in their group as he had a marine erase their chances. can be of being marriage. can be

a marriage just serve because both go to the next round depends on what happened before but if this is a marriage where the result is needed i can imagine a competitive match the home team has also behind a huge supporter. of their own country through why they have the law how to compete hard to be clever how to to try to influence the game with the emotional side of you. can be a big match. so both teams are through to the knockout phase but today will decide as i say who takes the top slot in that group saudi arabia test egypt at the same time as what it's superstar player mohammed. here's how the group looks at the moment then russia and europe level with six points each qualifying for the world cup final

sixteen egypt and saudi arabia though are bottom there yet to get a point of world cup hosts peter schmeichel and neil harvey have been sizing up monday's fixtures from our studio in some petersburg. the whole idea. was that the whole sort of preach horniman talk was that whoever was winning a russia europe the chips are you radio with that be playing either portugal and spain. it's not like that anymore because iran obviously they think they won against morocco iran of portugal they're playing later on. and the thing about it you'd know when they say quote portugal should win but portugal has not played well right now though it's been absolutely outstanding let's call it four goals. and he scored all of you know if one chance that didn't fall for john all that and

that tells you a story about what the quality of this this portuguese team is now looking at that in the table he hamish you can see it's anything from the from the top three around the big reputation team fun of picture of the portugal and they would be free and you know that sort of curiosity in this game is that iran's manager colors since portuguese he said he's worked with christiane a rinaldo at manchester united a drill madrid and also at portugal so he knows if anyone out to stop was john or another when i was going to make that point if you stop him which isn't easy i have to say that it's not easy but if you stop him you know then in two games they only produce one chance of that fall for him and that means portugal are not the team that. at least not with think now what we do know about for sure is they know about winning that are in european champions and they weren't i mean they weren't smelling of roses in the in the games they played in france two years ago it wasn't

great but they were very effective and ended up winning it so you just never know but spain i think we've we've talked about this quite a few times. i have the opinion that spain men from and they have the best score they also have players who are so used to winning games to winning tournament and playing at the highest pressure for like so many players from barcelona a players from real madrid in that squad they will be. in no doubt about that. and then probably when the group. goes peter mentioned they're all today's games are crucial as to who goes through to the final sixteen spain faces morocco while iran will play portugal and there's everything to play for for the top three that securing a win is the only way for iran to get into the playoffs we caught up with some of their fans in moscow.

i didn't i could imagine the russia was going to be this hot and i felt a lot of like one probably. hated for there are she's famous for being cold so it's good to be just a safe flight you don't need it it's amazing that. having the wrong be. made to the hour i said i love. her you gotta. love it but i've got a little bit. of. a problem with people. oh good it was like to leave me eat food and off the wall same place tomorrow.

you know brazil was beautiful it was good here is the like two three levels up percival so it was very easy to travel everywhere. i could not find anything in my mouth until the restaurant was just a few months ago for a school but this. was. done. so now. our people you know. yes very few taking the pictures of. them have no clue that you both are young.

these are not the measure of what would you cut. cut. cut cut cut cut. cut cut. cut they look. really good. to see. you. go go. go we've seen. you this. was. going to be one of the best. i'm going to put for. my body like my six months or so. i mean how i make. love.

well sunday was a roller coaster ride for supporters from tearful polish fans to the joyful winners here are the goals the group the day.

c.n.n. report suggesting that egyptian football star most salaries planning on quitting international football has been rejected by the egyptian football association our senior correspondent mara guys they have had to talk us through the controversy well mo is truly a superstar and as a reason they call him egypt's fourth pyramid he inspires and is adored by

millions. our odds were then. and rams and could hear of the president of chechnya is one of them chechnya is a place where sport physical fitness take pride of place so no surprise then that got a hero's welcome on every citizen ship dean is a photo op that set the media on fire cnn's anonymous sources in this case one source quickly reported that no is considering quitting the egyptian team over it all we all know how reliable those sources have been in recent times yet still attention grabbing enough to be cited by much of the western

media so who do you believe is mo really considering quitting well how about the egyptian team itself who we contacted directly but i'm not allowed to monaco to be put on my. car let me you've got to. let me assure you. i don't want to see him in a second going to meet. you i'm going to go to my mechanic. when i let me whether you want to know you know many people a million people chris i want. to learn but commandment as much evidently you. know we don't know what we've been in so you know. this is also beaten out poor in of support for move online twitter twitter users in the thousands are tweeting and reach weeting their backing of mo urging him to stay on c.n.n.

it's now cause doubt and its own source by confirming that the egyptian football association is denying it all should have probably contacted them first worth mentioning also the egyptian team peaked chechnya to base out of allowed food good facilities and accommodation arabic speakers but a picture with the local president at the photo too far says one c.n.n. source ok maria thanks for that stay with me for our world cup special coverage throughout the day live from russia and keep checking in with us as well from all around picture the football and the fans wherever you're watching.

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