It was reported last week that more than 12,000 World Cup fans had still been in Russia as of December 31 – the date on which the FAN ID system formally ended.

The system allowed fans with World Cup match tickets to enter Russia during the tournament without a visa, as long as they held a FAN ID document.

The scheme was deemed a success and extended so that FAN ID holders could continue to enter the country without a visa until the end of the year.

The Russian Interior Ministry reported last week that the number of fans remaining in Russia illegally beyond the deadline had been reduced during January, but still stood at 5,500.

The Interior Ministry press service provided RIA Novosti with a breakdown of those numbers on Thursday.

Nigerians make up the largest group still in Russia, with 1,863 citizens yet to have left. That’s followed by people from Vietnam (911) and Bangladesh (456) – neither of whom were playing at the 32-team tournament.

Senegal, who were playing in Russia but like Nigeria were knocked out at the group stage, have an estimated 253 citizens still in the country.

The Interior Ministry has said that work to expel those in the country illegally will continue, and is expected to be completed by the end of March.

Around 650,000 foreign fans visited Russia during the tournament, according to the ministry.

“In the main, they were all law-abiding and left the country in their own time,” migration department head Andrei Kayushin had said last week.

Some fans may well have been looking to continue the World Cup party, although others may have hoped to enter Russia before moving on elsewhere – including to the EU – AP reported. Others are said to have planned to file for asylum in Russia.

The World Cup in Russia was hailed as among the best ever, and was won by France, who beat Croatia 4-2 in the final at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on July 15.

PHOTO: Nigerian fans at their team's game against Iceland in Volgograd in June. © Reuters / Toru Hanai

Editor's note: The original cover photo for this article showed two Nigerian fans watching their team play Argentina at the World Cup in St. Petersburg. RT would like to make clear that these individuals were not among those who remained in Russia after the tournament.

https://www.rt.com/sport/450235-2000-nigerians-among-thousands-world-cup-fans-still-in-russia/

Na bad things we dey always go global for

Please send them back home, we need their vote to send Buhari back to Daura.

If na you, you go gree come back?

Davash222:
Please send them back home, we need their vote to send Buhari back to Daura.

The ones wen go enter Qatar no return don dey do press-up...

On behalf of Qatar police, we're watching you.

You think say Qatar dey porous like USA where them dey

wait for you to commit crime before them catch you?

UAE police they every doorpost dey remind you of

how many days you don dey inside your hotel room dey hide.

BruncleZuma:


The ones wen go enter Qatar no return don dey do press-up...