Russian football hooligans on World Cup blacklist

Hundreds banned from games as authorities try to stamp out risk of violence against England fans

ROMA, a Russian man in his 30s, used to fight other hooligans almost every month, meeting in the woods for brawls that only ended when one side was unable to get up. Not any more. Now the Lokomotiv Moscow supporter is called into the police station almost every month as one of those blacklisted in a crackdown before the World Cup starts in Russia on Thursday.

Since groups of masked Russian hooligans methodically pummelled England supporters in Marseille in 2016, Russia’s foreign office and national police have worried such violence could be repeated when an estimated 10,000 British fans see the Three Lions play in Russia this month.

Tensions were heightened by a Daily Star article circulated widely here claiming British hooligans were planning “World War Three” in Russia as payback for Marseille.

But the $12bn World Cup is a national prestige project for Vladimir Putin, and the authorities have been taking unprecedented measures to stamp out any unrest.

Known hooligans have been summoned for “prophylactic conversations” with police warning them to stay away from World Cup matches and letting them know they’re under watch. Some believe their phones are being tapped. Many are planning to go abroad or to the countryside during the event so that they can’t be blamed for any unrest that might occur.

Roma, who asked not to be identified, landed on the blacklist following mass arrests at the Russian championship in Sochi last year.

On Thursday, police made him sign a document reaffirming that he won’t attend any sporting matches.

“It’s not France here, there will be lots of police, so it will be hard to do anything no matter how much (hooligans) want to,” Roma said. “They will probably respond if there are provocations, but it will be quickly stopped, and it won’t get to be a massive bloodbath.”

Alexander Shprygin, head of the Russian Fan Union, who was deported twice from France during Euro 2016, said any fans who misbehave now “wake up to a raid by masked men”.

He himself is banned from World Cup matches. He’s waiting until after the tournament to try to resurrect the union. “For many years it was the carrot. There was dialogue, they gave us preferential treatment, a free pass and their blessing,” Mr Shprygin told The Daily Telegraph. “With the World Cup they’ve reconsidered. Now it’s the stick.”

While 451 Russian fans have been banned by court order, at least three times that number are unofficially blacklisted, according to Oleg Semyonov, who runs a legal hotline for fans. And security will be tight for all spectators, he said: “Any place where English fans gather will be guarded better than the US gold reserves at Fort Knox.”