Russian Football Players' Wives Strip for Euro 2004

News and photos from the Moscow News (11/06/2004)
The Russian team at Euro 2004 has been given a welcome boost before the side kicks off on Saturday after getting a lucky strip — a nude photo-shoot by their wives, Reuters reported.

Tatyana Evseyeva, photo by Svetlana Yeriklintseva World Football magazine

Nine wives and girlfriends of the national team’s players undressed for the cameras to encourage their men to win at the tournament being hosted by Portugal. Only a strategically placed placard featuring a photo of their partners offered some cover.
Daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda is printing one of the photos on a full page every day hoping they will inspire the players to go all the way in Portugal.

“The wives have done their part, now it’s the men’s turn,” said freelance photographer Svetlana Yeriklintseva, who came up with the idea for the pictures when the women told her they wanted to lift the team’s spirits after a bad result against Norway in April.

“Our press publishes a lot of pictures of wives but not of (those married to) Russian soccer players. Most often it’s (England captain David’s wife) Victoria Beckham...,” she said. “I believe that our girls are considerably more striking and I wanted this to be reflected in the photographs.”
Yeriklintseva said the women, who have been allowed to travel to Portugal to watch their partners play, needed a little persuasion. Some had worked as models and were used to being photographed but for others it was their first time.

The women are pictured in graceful black and white poses, with nothing but their man’s picture to protect their modesty.

“They cover up more than a mini-dress,” said Yeriklintseva.

Among those taking part were Russian captain Alexei Smertin’s wife Larisa, goalkeeper Sergei Ovchinnikov’s wife Inga and defender Vadim Yevseyev’s wife Tatyana.

Komsomolskaya Pravda correspondent Svetlana Khrustaleva said some players were reluctant for their partners to pose. But striker Dmitry Bulykin could barely wait for his girlfriend Oksana Kuptsova to strip. “He was really keen — he gave a white toothy grin and said: ’Please, Oksana, it will really warm me up.’,” Khrustaleva said.

Russia play Spain in their opening Group A game on Saturday in Faro and will also face hosts Portugal and Greece at the tournament that runs until July 4.

Relevant Links:

Komsomolskaya Pravda photo gallery (all the photos of the Russian football players wives posing to support their husbands in Euro 2004)

Young Russian women article on Way to Russia.