Sochi, June 20: Igor Poluektov, an engineer from Moscow, wasn't sure whether the sentence was grammatically correct. "Is it Welcome to Russia 2018 or Welcome Russia is okay?" Considering the message was to make visiting fans feel at home in Russia, you really wouldn't complain about grammar now, would you?

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Think Russian football fans and you are reminded of their bloody brawl with England supporters at Marseille during the Euro 2016, which left 35 people injured. But two years on, the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2018 have been nothing but friendly to foreign travelers, and are seeking to rid themselves of being labeled football hooligans.

The good ones definitely outweigh the trouble makers in Russia. Take for example this gang of four long-time friends who traveled to Sochi for the Belgium vs Panama Group G game on June 18. They wore printed t-shirts of old Russian cartoon characters with a message that reads "Welcome Russia 2018".

"We made this t-shirt ourselves because the message is to welcome everybody to our country to watch football and have a great time," Evgeniy Vlasov, who speaks impeccable English, said. "Football is a sport which brings a lot of people together and we want to spread the word of friendship among people of different cultures."

This what football is all about... pic.twitter.com/2vGgDTyNWk

— Fans' Embassy Russia (@fansembrussia) June 19, 2018

A week into the World Cup, barring the mischief after an evening of drinking, there have been no reports of violence among fans in Russia. According to media reports, this is because of the crackdown on Russian Ultras by the Vladimir Putin administration. Russian police have clamped down on the troublemakers, encouraging them to stay home or face jail time if they create a ruckus. The necessity of a Fan ID, handed by the government, to enter stadiums has also kept the hooligans off.

Regardless of these actions by the administration, the hosts have been courteous to the scores of visitors here.

Zhenya, a football player and assistant referee from the far east town of Birobidzhan, says the same. "The place I come from is closer to Tokyo and China than Moscow," says Zhenya, who stays 8,113 km from the Russian capital. To put this in perspective, New Delhi is about 5,300 km from Moscow. "And it's the Russian tradition to support the underdogs in every World Cup game. That's why you will see us cheering for countries like Panama, Peru and Japan rather than England, Belgium or any other strong country."

Zhenya then produced an Indian currency note from his wallet. "This is Gandhi right? India and Russia are great friends," he said. And just before the end of the Belgium v Panama game, Zhenya offered a note of Russian rubles, requesting for an Indian rupee note. "We like to exchange currencies and this will be a good way to remind ourselves that we are all one in this world," he added.

So the next time you hear about Russian Ultras and football hooligans running riot, don't label the entire country as a mob of unruly men. Try interacting with them yourself and you will surely be surprised by how genuine they are.

(myKhel.com correspondent Aravind S is in Russia, covering the event though typically from a fan's perspective).