Out of the three prospective official mascot designs for the upcoming 2018 FIFA football World Cup in Russia, Zabivaka the wolf was chosen by a landslide, easily beating the competition – a tiger and a cat. He is a charismatic character, whose official biography describes him as “charming, confident and social”, and as “a fair player, [who] values his team members and respects his opponents”. Yet, unbeknownst to most translators, his name tells a different story…