Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Russian ultras linked to attack on Liverpool fans
Thugs had Moscow slogans & accents
RUSSIAN ultra football thugs are suspected of being behind a terrifying attack on Liverpool fans in the Ukrainian capital.
Two of the 20-strong gang were arrested after the unprovoked assault on supporters in Kiev for tonight’s European final against Real Madrid.
Images taken by the Daily Mirror show suspects wearing black t-shirts emblazoned with Russian words.
One slogan was translated as: “All against us, we are against all.”
And locals confirmed that, in the video obtained by the Daily Mirror, police officers spoke to one suspect in Russian rather than Ukrainian.
It raises fears that ultra firms from across the border travelled to Ukraine for a warm-up attack on British fans before the World Cup which kicks off in Moscow, 500 miles away, on June 14.
A source said: “A senior match commander from Merseyside Police is in Kiev with a team of liaison officers.
“They are working with Ukrainian officers and the British Embassy.
“Their main priority is to establish which firm the hooligans are affiliated with and also their nationality.”
The hooligans, wearing skull bandanas over their faces launched, the assault with military precision on Thursday at a chicken restaurant near the Olympic stadium. Reds fans fled as glasses, chairs and tables were hurled at them, leaving many bloodied.
Jason Frost, 50, of Nuneaton, Warks, said: “They came at us like a pack of dogs and kept coming. It was terrifying.”
Liverpool fans had already been warned ahead of the final.
Although 13% of Kiev’s population is Russian, the city has plenty of violent crews of its own, including the Trouble Company from CSKA Kiev. But among the most dangerous are the neo-nazi thugs of the White Boys Club who follow the city’s best known team, Dynamo.
Chief Supt Dave Charnock, of Merseyside Police, said yesterday: “This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable.”
But thousands of Liverpool fans were undeterred yesterday, descending on Kiev, singing and soaking up the sun in historic Independence Square.
Richard Johnson, 53, from Bootle, stripped off his shirt to reveal a Liverpool tattoo across his entire back.
The self-employed builder had travelled with pal Noel Kirwan, 36, on a 12-hour trek via Belfast and Cyprus. Richard said: “We couldn’t miss it.” Many fans had been offered accommodation by locals after hotels pushed prices up to more than £1,000 a night.