A petition to replace the entire squad of Russia’s national football team has gathered almost 300,000 signatures on social activism site Change.org.
There was public outcry across the country when Russia was eliminated from the European Championships in France last month without winning a single match. Further scandal followed when a video showing team members Pavel Mamaev and Alexander Kokorin drinking champagne at a lavish party in Monte Carlo appeared online
The petition, addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, proposes to “break up the Russian team in its current form as it has failed to deliver.”
“The team’s funding should be spent on building football pitches and nurturing the next generation,” the petition reads.“We have been waiting for a miracle like children at Christmas, but we have not seen one in ten years.”
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