Happy birthday to Brazil Abidemi Ubani

Day 25 in Russia and I’ve settled into a familiar routine. Every morning starts with a call home via WhatsApp. My little girl, the last in my family jolted me when she asked why I did not wish her Happy birthday. I started stammering, trying to find a good excuse when she hit me the second time; ‘’Is it because Brazil have been defeated?

‘’Congratulations and Happy birthday my jewel. Daddy did not forget. I did not want to disturb your sleep because of the time difference between Nigeria and Russia”, I offered.

How time flies! Abidemi Brazil Valery was born four years ago when Brazil hosted the World Cup. It was in the middle of a match that my wife called to tell me the good news she had a bouncing baby girl. Adekunle Salami on hearing the good news named her ‘’Abidemi”. ‘’She was born when her father was away on duty”, Salami said.

My Brazilian guide, Branca named her Celia(Heaven) but said I should call her ‘’Brazil” which in a way means I was away in Brazil when she was born, Later in the day when I spoke with my Landlady, she called her ‘’Abidemi”, the same name my friend, Salami had named her.

Happy birthday to Abidemi Ubani. Am in Russia and not expecting any call of another baby. Am not ready to name another one Ekaterina.

World Cup is coming home through Southgate         

England is in a frenzy of celebrations. They deserve the bragging rights after sweeping Sweden out of Russia World Cup 2-0 to reach the semi finals of the World cup for the first time since Italia ‘ 90.

Not many believed that an English team would get to the semis at inception of the World Cup. But with Harry Kane and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford  and coach Gareth Southgate, football no doubt is within touch for the English who sang all through that ‘’It’s coming home. Football is coming home”.

I remember at Euro 1996, England had a fantastic team and drummed to everybody that football was coming home until a young Southgate blew his penalty against Germany to break so many hearts.

Our own Onochie Anibeze was the only Nigerian Journalist who covered Euro  ’96 and aptly titled his headline ‘’Football is coming home, but went out through Southgate. That most harrowing ordeal of his professional life and the reasons why the England manager, after two decades of living with the consequences, is so determined to make sure his team will not fall into the same trap. Southgate has remained steadfast to banish the ghost of Euro 96 penalty shootout.

In selecting a goalkeeper for the world Cup, Southgate was hit below the belt for neglecting Joe Hart and picking Jordan Pickford. Today, Pickford has remained at the peak and the hero of England as football looks forward to coming home.

Some have pointed out that when England lifted the trophy in 1966, Real Madrid won the European Cup, Manchester City won a league title, Burnley qualified for Europe and Chelsea finished fifth in the league – all these things that happened this year.

Do you need any more prophesy to believe that football is, indeed, coming home?

Men don’t Rush for condoms in Russia          

In the midst of all the Sexually Transmitted Diseases, STD, in the World, Condoms have become the shield, a barrier device used to reduce the probability of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections, STIs. Condoms have become the AK47 with which men fire without worrying for reproduction or suffer the pain when they urinate three days after contact with an infected female. The causes of STDs are bacteria, parasites, yeast and viruses. There are many types of STDs but the common ones include; Chlamydia, Genital herpes, Gonorrhea, HIV AIDS, HPV, Syphilis, Trichomoniasis. Most STDs affect both men and women, but in many cases the health problems they cause can be more severe for women. If a pregnant woman has an STD, it can cause serious health problems for the baby.

It is therefore shocking to learn that Russian men are usually not willing to use condoms. According to reports, they compare condoms with gas masks and say that having sex wearing a condom is like smelling a flower wearing a gas mask. This reluctance apparently comes from the Soviet times when condoms were of bad quality, uncomfortable and highly unreliable.

Russian women don’t have passion for safe sex   

Russian women do not have a great passion for safe sex either. Especially they do not like to use oral contraceptives, as it is believed they contain harmful hormones. In addition, they believe that there is quite a number of reliable methods to save a woman from pregnancy: taking a hot bath or a shower immediately after an intercourse, syringing with alkaline solution, jumping after sex, drinking raw beet juice or bay leaf tea, or putting your legs in hot water with mustard. If these methods do not help, a woman can always have an abortion, because Russian laws are very liberal at this point. Russian women have abortions ten times more often than women from Western countries do.

The way we are in Russia

ThisDay in Russia, we are in the Vanguard of covering the world cup with a Punch for The Nation, with a Guardian angel.