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‘Psychic’ cat Achilles to be reinvited to predict St. Petersburg football match results

Achilles, snow shite Hermitage cat with blue eyes, began his career as an oracle in 2017 during the CAF Confederation Cup

© Pyotr Kovalev/TASS

ST. PETERSBURG, March 24. /TASS/. Organizers of the football matches that will be played in St. Petersburg as part of UEFA Euro 2020, the tournament that will be played in 2021, will support the idea of reinviting ‘oracle’ cat Achilles from the State Hermitage Museum to predict match results, Saint Petersburg's Vice Governor Boris Piotrovsky, who is responsible for sports and culture issues in the city administration, said in an interview with TASS. The famous ‘psychic’ cat enjoyed a lot of attention at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

"Hermitage cat Achilles who predicted results of the St. Petersburg matches at the 2018 World Cup has earned the reputation of a true oracle and was well liked by fans. I think that everyone will expect his new predictions, and it would be wrong to betray these hopes. We will support these plans if Achilles agrees, of course," he said.

Earlier, spokesperson for the Hermitage cats, a special group of animals residing in the second-largest art museum in the world, Maria Khaltunen told reporters that Achilles would be willing to resume forecasts if a relevant request is submitted by tournament organizers.

Oracle cat

Achilles, snow shite Hermitage cat with blue eyes, began his career as an oracle in 2017 during the CAF Confederation Cup. Museum employees picked him before every other contender for his ability to analyze. The cat correctly predicted three out of four cup games which were held in St. Petersburg, including the starting and the final ones.

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Achilles showcased his gift in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He predicted the winner of the first four matches without any mistakes. He was recognized as one of the best world cup oracles due to these results but then the cat lost his edge, failing to pick the winner in three straight matches. Nevertheless, Achilles’s forecast shows were attracting a lot of attention of fans and journalists.

After the world cup, Achilles began taking part in social projects.

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