Russia’s friendly with Bulgaria on August 11 was moved on Friday from Moscow to St. Petersburg due to the thick smog in the capital.
Moscow has been hit by smog - smoke from nearby peat bog and forest fires mixed with pollutants - for much of the last 12 days, but Friday saw the worst day yet, with health officials warning people to stay inside.
The capital has also been experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures nudging 40 degrees Celsius
“It would not be possible to play in such weather and smog,” a spokesman for Russian Football Union chief Sergei Fursenko said.
Russia’s new coach, Dutch trainer Dick Advocaat, has called up all of his foreign-based players for his first game in charge of the team. RIA Novosti
