Ирландцы едут в Москву на футбол

[Kolbassa]

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...l-1370184.html

Ну вот, ребята по сотке за визы заплатили, а они, оказывается, и не нужны:


Friday May 09 2008

LET'S hope the Champions League final later this month is as dramatic as efforts by Irish supporters to get there.

Irish fans of Manchester United and Chelsea were told yesterday afternoon that they will not now require a visa to travel to Moscow later this month, provided they have a valid match ticket on arrival in Russia.

The announcement that new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is to sign an order waiving the visa requirement for Irish supporters travelling to the final came just a few hours after the Department of Foreign Affairs had warned intending travellers to ensure they had a visa.

It also came after hundreds of fans had queued at the Russian Embassy in Dublin in recent days, with many paying ?100 for a visa they will not now require. But the embassy said yesterday that the waiver would not be retrospective.

"The holders of a original football match ticket and valid passport have been waived from getting any visa," Oleg Bikmametov, the first secretary at the embassy said.

"The Russian president is to sign the special decree waiving any visa requirements for Irish citizens who have a passport and original football match ticket."

A similar waiver was issued last week to British citizens heading to the final on May 21.

Insistent

But the Russian Embassy here had been insistent until noon yesterday that a visa was required by people travelling from Ireland, and trip organisers, such as Abbey Travel, had been advising their customers to get a visa.

It is understood that the Russian authorities were not aware of the large fan base in Ireland, which is why the waiver wasn't introduced until yesterday.

The decree is to be signed in the coming days, ensuring that anyone with a valid ticket and a current passport will be allowed entry to Russia between May 18 and May 23.

However, fans who are collecting their match tickets at the stadium or in Moscow will have to get a visa in advance.