“Make sure you’re clean, smell good and dress well. Russian women don’t like to be seen as objects. The advice is to treat the woman in front of you as if she were someone of value”

It’s not a joke, although it sounds like one. These “pieces of advice” are taken from a manual handed out to coaches, players and journalists who are about to travel to Russia. The title of this masterpiece is: “What to do to have a chance with a Russian girl”. No euphemisms whatsoever. No understatements at all. Quite straightforward, isn’t it?

To say it in Argentine Spanish: “¡Qué papelón!”. “Papelón” is not a “big paper” in English. It’s a “faux pas”, it means to make a fool of yourself. I’m glad the AFA has made this unbelievable “mistake”, and I’m not surprised at all. Something has historically smelt rotten in that shady institution. No wonder, then. In keeping with their standards.

Published on Buenos Aires Times