Russia breathes sigh of relief Fan leader out in the cold
Team, pitch pass first test
RUSSIAN fan leader Alexander Shprygin has been barred from the Confederations Cup before the opening match in Saint Petersburg on Saturday which saw the hosts beat New Zealand 2-0.
The issue of hooliganism is a major concern for organisers after ugly clashes between Russian and English fans at the European Championship in Marseille last summer.
Shprygin, who was twice deported from France last year during Euro 2016, said he had been notified by organisers that his fanID, needed to attend matches, had been cancelled.
“Two hours before the match I received an email which said that my Fan ID had been cancelled, which means I was barred from entering the stadium,” he said.
“I had travelled almost 500km by car to watch the match, I paid 8 000 rubles [about R1 700] for a ticket which I couldn’t use.”
Shprygin said he had had no prior warning and threatened legal action.
“I think that my rights have been violated,” Shprygin said. Shprygin was among a group of Russian fans who were expelled from France after clashes during Russia’s Euro 2016 match against England. He re-entered France later in the tournament but was again expelled.
Russia have implemented the special Fan ID, which allows visiting fans to enter the country without a visa and supporters to move freely between host cities for the duration of the tournament.
But this ID also serves as an additional security measure as fans cannot enter the stadium without it.
The eight-team Confederations Cup which runs until July 2 in St Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan and Sochi is being seen as a test for Russia ahead of the 2018 World Cup. — AFP
RUSSIA breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday after its soccer team won the opening match of the Confederations Cup and the country demonstrated that one of its most problematic World Cup pitches was fit for international matches.
Russia convincingly beat New Zealand 2-0 at the St Petersburg Stadium in front of 50 251 people, including President Vladimir Putin and Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who addressed the crowd before the kick-off.
Putin welcomed fans to what he called a “big football festival” and thanked Infantino and Fifa for the faith they had shown in Russia.
“The fact the leader of the country came to the match is on the one hand an additional positive, but it is also an additional responsibility,” said Russia manager Stanislav Cherchesov, whose team face Portugal on Wednesday.
Although Russia were under pressure to perform well on home soil after slipping to a record low 63rd in Fifa’s world rankings this month, the country faced even more scrutiny over issues off the pitch in the run-up to the twoweek tournament.
The 68 000-seat St Petersburg stadium will be a flagship venue at the 2018 World Cup and the home of Russian soccer powerhouse Zenit, but its decade-long construction marred by corruption allegations and delays has so far caused more disappointment than satisfaction.
A new pitch had to be hastily laid before Saturday’s kick-off after uprooted chunks of grass and bare spots on the field spoiled the first match held at the new venue in April.
Before the problems with the grass, issues with the stadium’s retractable pitch technology made the playing surface vibrate and rendered it unfit for matches. But on Saturday the pitch survived without noticeable damage.
After clashes between Russian and English soccer fans marred last year’s European Championship, Putin adopted legislation toughening punishments for stadium violence as part of a broader crackdown on hooliganism.
The Russian interior ministry has since blacklisted 292 fans, effectively banning them from attending official sporting events.
Russian authorities insist that the Confederations Cup’s ticketing system, which requires ticket holders to apply for a personalised fanID, ensures that all fans are screened and troublemakers are kept away.
“The chances of losing the right to attend Confederations Cup and World Cup matches are significantly increased for people who are known to have committed serious violations,” the organising committee said.
Fifa has for the first time implemented a three-step procedure at the Confederations Cup that allows referees to stop matches in the event of racist or discriminatory incidents.
At Saturday’s game there were two pre-game stadium announcements warning fans against discriminatory behaviour.
Fifa general secretary Fatma Samoura said on Friday that the estimated attendance for the tournament would be 65%, and that Russia’s match against European champions Portugal had been sold out for weeks.
But empty seats remain a concern, with Russia’s Sport Express reporting some tickets were being handed out to state workers for free in a bid to fill the stands at an upcoming match in Kazan. — Reuters