World Cup: Russia asks Nigerian fans not to bring live chickens at stadium

Nigerian fans cheering on their national team in Saturday’s World Cup match against Croatia will be missing an important item in their supporter’s toolkit: chickens.

Live chickens are sometimes seen at soccer matches in Nigeria where fans paint them in the green and white colors of their national flag before holding them aloft and leading crowd chanting.

But officials in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, where Nigeria will take on Croatia on Saturday in their first outing at the World Cup, have said animals will not be allowed in the stadium.

Andrei Yermak, Kaliningrad’s minister for culture and tourism, said