"I wanted the score to be 8:8, and then - a penalty shootout"

The singer and composer Igor Korneluk shared his dreams about the ideal World Cup finals and suspicions about the Russian national team

- Igor, you were a guest of the FIFA Fan Festival™. What are your relationships with football?
- Wonderful! I love football, but it does not love me. I do not play it, although I used to be a good goalkeeper in my childhood. I was standing in the gate and it was impossible to score to me! Then I began to study music more.

- But did you follow the World Cup?
- Yes, very carefully. In general, I really wanted England and France to play in the final - it would have been a landmark finale, but it did not work out. And I also wanted the score to be 5:5, then in extra time - 8:8, and then the penalty shootout. It would have been a full-fledged final. I like it when there are many goals. Especially beautiful ones.

- You love football, and you have no songs about it, why?
- I have one. In 1985, I wrote a song called "Kud-kud-kud-kuda", about a chicken and a soccer ball. Then no one knew the word "rap" and I also did not know that it was rap. I'll think about it, and maybe I'll write something about football. One needs some kind of an opportunity, some point of view, some kind of foreshortening to write a song about football.

- Do you have inspiration? The Russian team in this World Cup inspired.
- When I watched the first match of our team, it seemed to me that they were deceiving me. All the time I thought: is this exactly Russia playing? We played combinations, pass, fast game, which I have not seen in our country for a long time and was very happy for our team. It was great. It was worth it. Apparently, the fact that the World Cup is held here has played a role. The team understood that the whole country and the whole world was looking at them; there was a motivation to show the best. And it turned out that we are able to play football!

- Are you excited to perform before the St. Petersburg audience?
- A concert is always exciting, wherever I perform. You know, when I was 15, I was introduced to Arkady Raikin. And I saw him being excited before going on stage. I could not understand how it could be, it was Arkady Raikin, and he was guaranteed success, why was he so worried? And years later, when I began to appear on stage, I understood: if this excitement disappears, you can cross yourself out as an artist.

- At the FIFA Fan Festival™ the main thing is football, not music, what's the point of being worried?
- On the contrary, for me it was an additional excitement. This new feeling, the state I experienced as if I had been on the stage for the first time!

- In your opinion, is there anything in common with football and music?
- I think the mass – both, football, and music are liked by a huge number of people. And emotions. At the stadium, and here at the Festival people are experiencing, sadness and happiness! However, it's very sad that it all ended. We are so used to football for this month. To the holiday, which it gave us... In any case, we will miss it.