There is nervousness among some supporters before World Cup opener but most feel welcomed
England fans have started arriving in the Russian city of Volgograd before their team’s opening World Cup game on Monday and are abiding by strict warnings not to drape flags on second world war monuments.
The city, formerly known as Stalingrad, is dominated by a statue known as the Motherland Calls, an 85-metre-tall sculpture of a woman raising a sword aloft, a memorial to the millions who died in the 1942-43 battle for the city.
There are dozens of other monuments acknowledging the Russians who lost their lives during the Battle of Stalingrad scattered around the city. It had prompted concerns that England fans might provoke their hosts by hanging St George’s flags on them.
British police have worked with the Football Supporters’ Federation to make supporters aware of sensitive sites and there was an excited but respectful atmosphere on the streets of Volgograd as fans from several countries mixed.
Source: http://allofbeer.com/i-think-itll-be-all-right-england-fans-begin-arriving-in-volgograd/