SOCHI, Russia (AP) – Perhaps keeping the ball on the ground should be the order from air traffic control rather than coaches in this southern Russian coastal resort.
A FIFA-assigned training ground, used so far by Australia and Cameroon at the Confederations Cup, is directly on the flight path into Sochi’s airport.
After passing over the Black Sea, the final kilometer of the descent sees planes roar directly over the pitch before touching down on the runway.
The airplanes can appear deceptively close for players training for the 2018 World Cup warm-up tournament. According to the flight tracking app Plane Finder, aircraft are less than 70 meters off the ground as they drop over the pitch.
Passengers in window seats are given a brief glimpse of training sessions mostly closed off from the media and fans. And the planes are certainly low enough for the roar of jet engines to drown out instructions from coaches.