Your fans are a red rag to us, says thug leader...
SPORTSMAIL’S SPECIAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE HOOLIGAN THREAT FACING ENGLAND SUPPORTERS IN RUSSIA
The notorious Russian fan leader expelled from France after attacks on england supporters in Marseille last summer has provided an extraordinary insight into the perpetrators’ motives, claiming the english are seen as ‘old school’ hooligans and ‘ the soul’ of thuggery, whom other nations want to topple.
In his first interview with British media, conducted at his remote base 300 miles west of Moscow, Alexander Shprygin — who was this week barred from Russia’s Confederations Cup games — told Sportsmail that he had read books about British hooligan culture written by reformed troublemaker Dougie Brimson, including The Crew, which were ‘huge here’.
British police are urging england fans following Gareth Southgate’s team here next summer to desist from gathering in large groups and engaging in nationalist singing, as they could be targeted again.
‘english fans give birth to the spirit of old school hooliganism,’ said 39-year- old Shprygin, who has been a supporter representative on the Russian FA board and photographed with President Vladimir Putin. ‘even though for the last 20 years they have been in the shadow, because of strict anti-hooliganism, they are still the main ‘red rag’ to europe. ‘When an english team play in europe, there are thousands and thousands of fans. It becomes an english town. They set the example. They started this and they are the best. In Marseille, we were strong enough as a fan community to bring 10,000.’ But a Sportsmail investigation into Russian violence has established that the real threat to england fans at next year’s World Cup lies among a subset of mixed martial arts, gymnasium-trained fighters who have no interest in the game. Their ‘sport’ is known by Russian observers as okolofutbol or ‘outside of football.’ Okolofutbol rules are rooted in supposed old Russian streetfighting codes of honour. They include extending invitations to opposition fan groups to fight. One member of a Dynamo Moscow fighting group, who asked not to be identified, has told Sportsmail that an invitation was actually extended to england fans to fight at the French port last summer. ‘There was an offer but it was rejected.’ A second Russian source has corroborated that claim.
The fighter claimed that english behaviour, including chants about the state of Russia and Putin, were seen as provocative so the Russians attacked anyway. Though one of the codes of the ‘ sport’ is to fight with ‘ clean hands’ and no weapons, Russians used them because bottles and other missiles were thrown at them first, the fighter claimed.
Shprygin, who has links to far-right groups, freely explained why he believes black players should not appear for the Russia national team.
‘Russians are what Russians are,’ he said. ‘Of course, in europe you have political correctness and tolerance which have gone over the top.’
Several sources in Russia have told Sportsmail that there is unprecedented pressure from security services on fans here not to fight next summer and ‘fans don’t want to go to prison’. But police officers from both sides fear that england fans will be a target if they adopt the same high profile.