MADRID, June 29 (Sputnik) - Legendary football fan Manuel Caceres Artesero, better known as Manolo "el del bombo", which translates as Manolo The Bass Drummer, was allowed to bring his bass drum, which he has been playing at Spain's matches for four decades, to Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium for the 2018 FIFA World Cup round of 16 encounter between Spain and Russia.
"Thank you, everyone, for your help! We did this! I'll keep you informed! Thank you, everyone!" Manolo posted on his Twitter account.
Manolo, who has attended Spain's all international matches since 1982, failed to play his bass drum during Spain's matches against Iran in Kazan and against Morocco in Kaliningrad, as he was denied access to the stands with the instrument due to safety concerns. He was only allowed to play the drum in Sochi, where Spain played out a 3-3 draw with Portugal.
The 69-year-old football fan had posted a call for help on his Twitter account, saying that Spain "needed its drum," and had also asked Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Spanish King and the Prime Minister and "the whole of Spain" to help.
Spanish leading sports media helped Manolo spread his call for help. Journalists from Spanish newspaper Marca contacted FIFA, and two hours later a FIFA representative assured them that everything would be all right.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the matches being played in 11 cities across Russia.
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