A few years ago, Moscow didn't boast a single watering hole where one could watch even the English FA Cup Final f perhaps one of the single most popular matches in the world f live.
But as the European Championships kick off at 7:45 p.m. Saturday f when co-host Belgium takes on Sweden in Brussels f soccer-mad Muscovites and expats can catch just about every single moment of the scheduled 2,800 minutes of soccer (that's just under 47 hours), give or take the odd bout of extra time and the penalty shootout that will no doubt eliminate England.
Every single minute of goals, free kicks, fouls, long-haired Czechs and close-up shots of Posh Spice watching celebrity husband David Beckham from the crowd will be beamed from Belgium and the Netherlands to Moscow television screens. However, while armchair fans can see every game, anyone who wants to catch their soccer live may have to get out of his living room armchair and find one in a sports bar.
ORT, RTR and f for some unknown reason the highbrow Kultura f television channels, are sharing coverage for free-to-air broadcasters. The three channels will televise all 31 games, but only 20 will be shown live. Eight first-round games, including interesting clashes such as France vs. Denmark and Germany vs. Romania, will be shown with a couple of hours of delay, as will two of the quarterfinals. (For a full list of the TV timetable, see euro2000.sovsport.ru).
If your German or Romanian blood demands live satisfaction, then you'll have to head to the bars, of which the following are your best bets:
Sportland, which opened a couple of weeks ago, is Metelitsa's new revamped Bookmakers. Moved from the cramped little alley that it used to occupy to a large basement next to the main entrance to the casino on Novy Arbat, Sportland now has two large screens. One is devoted to horse and dog racing and surrounded by a bevy of men holding copies of Sporting Life and chewing their pens furiously. Sensibly kept at a distance is the main screen f for soccer, football and any other major sporting event. With the best satellite system in Moscow, viewers are almost guaranteed that the match they want to watch will be shown at Sportland. The manager guarantees that all the Euro 2000 matches will be shown live, using a mixture of British, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian and Russian channels (see www.expat.ru for a schedule).
Apart from allowing sports fans to bet on literally everything from first goal scorer to last man sent off, Sportland boasts one of the cheapest mini casinos in town f two roulette tables, one poker and one blackjack where bets start at 10 rubles.
Another good bet is Doug & Marty's Boar House, which also has a decent satellite system and advertises that all games will be live.
Of the two, the Boar House is probably the better (the bar even boasts uncomfortable seats just like at the stadiums) and is a kind of home away from home for English fans here for the last World Cup.
Another venue that may not air all the matches but that wins on comfort is sports newcomer Voodoo Lounge near Tishinskaya Square. Lounge management has even set up a screen in it's rather cozy backyard garden.
Of course, not everyone wants to be surrounded by English fans f even the kind of genteel souls who frequent the Boar House. For them, the embassy of co-host country Belgium suggests heading to the Brussels restaurant near Timiryazevskaya metro station f the Belgian owner said he will be showing all the matches. The employees of the Danish Embassy are rather fond of Brasserie du Soleil, while the folks at the Italian Embassy shrugged and suggested Il Pomodoro f but more for the food than anything else. The restaurant will show the matches via Italian television.
A final warning: As of press time, many bars and restaurants were still arranging their schedules and a few games may slip through the net. Check web sites or call the venues for last-minute schedules.
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Venues
Boar House. 26 Zemlyanoi Val. Metro Kurskaya. Tel. 917-0150.
Brasserie du Soleil. 23 Taganskaya Ulitsa. Metro Taganskaya. Tel. 258-5900.
Brussels. 10/12 Timiryazevskaya Ulitsa. Metro Timiryazevskaya. Tel. 211-5695.
Il Pomodoro. 5 Bolshoi Golovin Pereulok. Metro Sukharevskaya. Tel. 924-2931.
Sportland. 21 Novy Arbat. Metro Arbatskaya. Tel. 745-5839.
The Starlite Diner. 9A Korovy Val. Metro Oktyabrskaya. Tel. 959-8919.
Voodoo Lounge. 5/7 Sredny Tishinsky Pereulok. Metro Belorusskaya. Tel. 253-2323.