AROUND

50 Russian hooligans, many involved in violence against England fans in France last summer, have been banned from all Confederations Cup matches. Some fans with tickets were barred from Friday’s tournament opener between Russia and New Zealand. They included fan leader Alexander Shprygin, who was expelled from France twice last year, and now he and others have had their ‘fan ID’ cancelled, making match tickets useless. The Moscow authorities may repeat the crackdown at next year’s World Cup.