Euro expulsion looms for Russia
Print Edition
RUSSIA will be disqualified from the European Championship if there is more violence by the team’s fans inside stadiums in France.
A UEFA disciplinary panel made the ruling yesterday after Russians charged at a section of England fans after the team’s opening match in Marseille.
Russia will be expelled from the tournament if its fans attack rival fans or stadium security staff at its two remaining Group B matches, or later at Euro 2016 if the team advances.
Russia’s “disqualification is suspended until the end of the tournament”, UEFA said. “Such suspension will be lifted if incidents of a similar nature (crowd disturbances) happen inside the stadium at any of the remaining matches of the Russian team during the tournament.”
Russia plays Slovakia in Lille today and Wales in Toulouse next Monday.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said “the punishment is excessive” and described the 150,000-euro (US$169,000) fine imposed by UEFA as “huge”.
“There is no sense in appealing,” said Mutko, who is also chief of the Russian soccer federation, in comments reported by Russian news agency R-Sport.
The incidents with Russian hooligans come two years before the country hosts the 2018 World Cup in 11 cities. Mutko is head of tournament’s Russian organizing committee and a member of the FIFA ruling council.
A spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin condemned the “rampages in Marseille”, while noting that fans from other countries were involved in disorder in France.
UEFA fined the Russian soccer federation for charges relating to crowd disturbances and setting off fireworks during the game. UEFA can punish soccer bodies only for the actions of fans in and around stadiums.
England’s soccer body faced no disciplinary case after Saturday’s match, though UEFA’s executive committee warned both federations it had separate power to disqualify either for a repeat of violence.
Russia and England played to a 1-1 draw amid rising tension after several days of clashes between rival fans, French youths and police. Though England fans were at the center of the first skirmishes, the violence levels rose when Russian fans arrived.
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