MOSCOW: Stormy weather on Saturday prompted the authorities in Moscow to close the Russian capital’s official FIFA fan zone, which regularly welcomes up to 25,000 soccer fans watching the World Cup on its giant outdoor screens. Bursts of rain and strong winds replaced weeks of heat and sunshine while the fan zone, a magnet for Russian and foreign soccer fans, stood empty, its entrances shut. There were no World Cup games scheduled to be played in Moscow on Saturday, but fans had found alternate venues to watch the games of the day: France taking on Argentina in the city of Kazan, and Uruguay facing Portugal in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi. Published in Daily Times, July 1st 2018.