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Fend off swine flu with booze

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Home > The M.O. > Archives > 2009 > August > 04 > Entry

By Matthew Odam | Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 11:58 AM

This story is probably not going to do much for the stereotype that Russians are a hard-drinking lot, a characterization that has been confirmed in my own unscientific personal research in the former Soviet Union.

As the Russian national soccer team and its fans prepare to head to Wales for a World Cup qualifier next month, the head of the country’s supporter association (VOB), advised fans to booze up in order to fight the dreaded H1N1 swine flu, according to Reuters.

“We urge our fans to drink a lot of Welsh whisky as a form of disinfection,” VOB head Alexander Shprygin told Reuters.

“That should cure all symptoms of the disease.”

And it should do wonders for the Welsh pubs and the acetaminophen industry. Of course, acetaminophen is for wimps. Everyone knows the best way to combat a whisky hangover is more whisky.

From Reuters:

Russia’s Health Ministry has issued a public warning against traveling to Britain because of the spread of the H1N1 virus but Shprygin said he expected at least several hundred fans would go to Wales for the September 9 qualifier in Cardiff.

“Health officials say this virus is very dangerous but being a fan myself I can tell you that for a real fan nothing is more important than the well-being of the team,” said Shprygin, who also sits on the executive board of the Russian FA.

“Russian fans don’t fear anything or anybody so this virus will not stand in our way of supporting our team.”

The Russian FA also said health issues should not prevent fans from traveling.

“We don’t want our team to be without any support for such an important match so we urge our fans to go to Wales despite the health warning,” a spokesman said.

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