Russia football hooligans have graduated past the English

VIOLENCE has been part of Russian football for many years. Clashes inside stadiums and organised fights away from them are common. But the mass disturbances in Marseille have thrust Russian hooliganism into the international spotlight.

The Russian Football Union expressed regret over the fighting and Russia’s sports minister described those involved as a disgrace. But other senior officials have praised the hooligans openly as “real men”.

Meanwhile, the fans themselves seem largely unrepentant, even proud.

“This showed who is the most important among hooligans,” Alexei, a supporter of Moscow’s CSKA football club, says. He said Russian hooligans learned much of what they know from the English.

“In the 70s and 80s everyone would bow down before the English,” Alexei adds. “Now there are different hooligans. These are different times.”

Hashtags like #Marseilleisours appeared on Twitter after the clashes and Russian hooligan groups on social media praised participants.

English fans caught up in the violence have talked of the Russians as savage and say ordinary supporters — not fellow hooligans — were attacked. Russian fans themselves insist they were responding to provocation by the English.

But they do describe a new breed of Russian hooligan — younger, fitter and more sober than his English counterpart.

“Now many people are boxers or into mixed martial arts, and Russian hooligans often follow a very healthy way of life, avoiding alcohol which used to be part of the subculture,” says journalist Andrei Malosolov, cofounder of Russia’s Fans’ Union.

“The English like drinking more, and when they drink they lose quality as fighters and slow down. Our people were more prepared, because of the culture these days,” he told the BBC, suggesting that the “students” have outgrown their masters.

“Russia and Poland are in top place in the hooligan chart,” Malosolov says. “England has dropped a long way down.”

The tabloid paper Komsomolskaya Pravda adopts a similar tone, suggesting that Russia is now clear favourite in what it called the “alternative Euros”.

As such, it has published a glossary of hooligan terms for the uninitiated.

The hardcore are known as the “fighters”, the paper explains, while the “ultras” are the noisy fans behind the goal. Tactics range from a “jump” — striking a few blows then retreating — to a full “action” aimed at the “moral destruction of the rival”.

Reports from France suggest that hooligans from multiple clubs were involved in the brawling in Marseille, including from towns little known outside Russia. Fans say key members of the bigger hooligan firms, including two linked to Moscow teams CSKA and Spartak, were banned from travelling.

A recent “fans’ law” introduced strict sanctions for violations including violence. The president of Russia’s fans’ union told the BBC that more than 100 hooligans had been blacklisted as a result. But many of those who did travel fought with their faces uncovered.

Both Russia and England face penalties from Uefa if the violence continues. The ultimate punishment — disqualification — would be devastating for Russia, which hosts the World Cup in 2018. — bbc.com