ZCZC
BSP-25
FOOTBALL-WC-CROATIA-PRESIDENT
Croatian President arrives in Sochi to attend 2018 World Cup match
SOCHI, July 7, 2018 (BSS /TASS) – Croatia’s President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic arrived on a charter flight from Zagreb to Sochi, where she is to attend the World Cup quarterfinal match between Russia and Croatia on Saturday, a TASS correspondent reported from the Sochi airport.
The Croatian president came with a large delegation of Croatian fans. They flew on the Leoleta – a Boeing 777-300 plane of the Rossiya airline, which carries the image of the Far Eastern leopard. Earlier several more charter flights from Zagreb arrived in Sochi.
A diplomatic source told TASS that before the match Mrs Grabar-Kitarovic may visit the Sochi Sports Glory Museum.
Earlier the press service of the Russian government reported that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic are expected to attend the Russia vs Croatia match in the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2018, which the two teams will play in Sochi at 21:00 Moscow Standard Time [18:00 UTC].
“Also on July 7, the Russian Prime Minister and the President of Croatia will have a meeting, in the course of which they hope to discuss the main issues of Russian-Croatian cooperation in trade, culture and the humanitarian sphere,” the report said.
Medvedev attended Team Russia’s knockouts game vs Spain at Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on July 1 when Russia in overtime and made the way into quarterfinals.
He called into the changing room after the game to greet the players. It was also then that he jokingly recommended the entire cabinet should go to Sochi to attend the game vs Croatia.
Earlier Grabar-Kitarovic made a trip to Nizhny Novgorod where Team Croatia won against Denmark in the knockouts.
Russia vs Croatia will be the last game played at Fisht stadium in Sochi during this Mundial. The winning team will play either vs England or vs Sweden in the semifinal.
England and Sweden meet in Samara this (Saturday) evening.
BSS/TASS/SG/SMM/1815 1HRS