Richard Arnold is Associate Professor of Political Science at Muskingum University, USA, where he teaches courses on International Sports and Politics, Russian Politics, Russian Foreign Policy, and Ethnic Conflict and Nationalism.

"Richard Arnold's volume is the first comprehensive, multidimensional academic reflection on the impact and legacy of the 2018 tournament for Russia in its immediate aftermath. It is a valuable addition to the libraries of scholars of Russian politics, society and sports, and a necessary starting point for subsequent reflections on the 2018 World Cup." – Vitaly Kazakov, University of Manchester, Europe-Asia Studies

• Introduction: a sporting riddle wrapped in mystery 1RICHARD ARNOLD1 The state of play in Russian football 14MANUEL VETH2 Security and the spectacle: the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia’s “safest city” 33VOLKAN IPEK AND ANDREY MAKARYCHEV3 Populist tactics: Ramzan Kadyrov’s use of football as a political tool during the 2018 FIFA World Cup 56MICHAEL COLE4 Increased output legitimacy by hosting mega sport events? The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russian Twitter discourse 79HENK ERIK MEIER, JULIA GLATHE, MICHAEL MUTZ AND MARTIN HÖLZEN5 Sport and domestic “soft power” in Russia: take the skinheads bowling 100RICHARD ARNOLD6 The case of Pussy Riot’s protest at the World Cup 2018 in Russia: ‘the policeman enters the game’ 118OLGA IAKIMOVA7 Football, film, and the Russian state: an unorthodox alliance 138PETER ROLLBERG8 Russian soft power as a result of FIFA 2018 154TATIANA ZONOVA9 Vladimir Putin, Russian foreign policy, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup: making Russia great again 169ANDREW FOXALL10 Global soft power and local effects of the World Cup in Russia, Brazil, and South Africa 187MARINA MIKHAYLOVA

Richard Arnold is Associate Professor of Political Science at Muskingum University, USA, where he teaches courses on International Sports and Politics, Russian Politics, Russian Foreign Policy, and Ethnic Conflict and Nationalism.

"Richard Arnold's volume is the first comprehensive, multidimensional academic reflection on the impact and legacy of the 2018 tournament for Russia in its immediate aftermath. It is a valuable addition to the libraries of scholars of Russian politics, society and sports, and a necessary starting point for subsequent reflections on the 2018 World Cup." – Vitaly Kazakov, University of Manchester, Europe-Asia Studies

• Introduction: a sporting riddle wrapped in mystery 1RICHARD ARNOLD1 The state of play in Russian football 14MANUEL VETH2 Security and the spectacle: the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia’s “safest city” 33VOLKAN IPEK AND ANDREY MAKARYCHEV3 Populist tactics: Ramzan Kadyrov’s use of football as a political tool during the 2018 FIFA World Cup 56MICHAEL COLE4 Increased output legitimacy by hosting mega sport events? The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russian Twitter discourse 79HENK ERIK MEIER, JULIA GLATHE, MICHAEL MUTZ AND MARTIN HÖLZEN5 Sport and domestic “soft power” in Russia: take the skinheads bowling 100RICHARD ARNOLD6 The case of Pussy Riot’s protest at the World Cup 2018 in Russia: ‘the policeman enters the game’ 118OLGA IAKIMOVA7 Football, film, and the Russian state: an unorthodox alliance 138PETER ROLLBERG8 Russian soft power as a result of FIFA 2018 154TATIANA ZONOVA9 Vladimir Putin, Russian foreign policy, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup: making Russia great again 169ANDREW FOXALL10 Global soft power and local effects of the World Cup in Russia, Brazil, and South Africa 187MARINA MIKHAYLOVA

Richard Arnold is Associate Professor of Political Science at Muskingum University, USA, where he teaches courses on International Sports and Politics, Russian Politics, Russian Foreign Policy, and Ethnic Conflict and Nationalism.

"Richard Arnold's volume is the first comprehensive, multidimensional academic reflection on the impact and legacy of the 2018 tournament for Russia in its immediate aftermath. It is a valuable addition to the libraries of scholars of Russian politics, society and sports, and a necessary starting point for subsequent reflections on the 2018 World Cup." – Vitaly Kazakov, University of Manchester, Europe-Asia Studies

• Introduction: a sporting riddle wrapped in mystery 1RICHARD ARNOLD1 The state of play in Russian football 14MANUEL VETH2 Security and the spectacle: the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia’s “safest city” 33VOLKAN IPEK AND ANDREY MAKARYCHEV3 Populist tactics: Ramzan Kadyrov’s use of football as a political tool during the 2018 FIFA World Cup 56MICHAEL COLE4 Increased output legitimacy by hosting mega sport events? The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russian Twitter discourse 79HENK ERIK MEIER, JULIA GLATHE, MICHAEL MUTZ AND MARTIN HÖLZEN5 Sport and domestic “soft power” in Russia: take the skinheads bowling 100RICHARD ARNOLD6 The case of Pussy Riot’s protest at the World Cup 2018 in Russia: ‘the policeman enters the game’ 118OLGA IAKIMOVA7 Football, film, and the Russian state: an unorthodox alliance 138PETER ROLLBERG8 Russian soft power as a result of FIFA 2018 154TATIANA ZONOVA9 Vladimir Putin, Russian foreign policy, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup: making Russia great again 169ANDREW FOXALL10 Global soft power and local effects of the World Cup in Russia, Brazil, and South Africa 187MARINA MIKHAYLOVA