Equerry’s son apologises for Moscow graffiti
Student forced by Russian police to record video after ‘England’ daubed in red paint on stadium statue
THE son of the Queen Mother’s former equerry was forced by Russian police to record a video apology for defacing a statue at the stadium before England’s win over Colombia. Rufus Hall, 20, a business management student, was on his way back to Britain last night after being fined £35 by a Moscow court for scrawling “England” in red face paint over the statue that honours a dead Russian footballer.
Hall apologised for the graffiti in a video issued by Moscow police.
“I love this country for the two days I’ve been here,” said Hall, standing in what appeared to be a stadium corridor, while still wearing his England shirt and with a flag around his head.
“I would never disrespect the country. I respect the history and had I known this would offend people, I would never have done it, and I wholly apologise.”
His father, Niall Hall, a former captain in the Irish Guards who served as an equerry to the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother at Clarence House during the Eighties, said his son was mortified.
Mr Hall, 57, told The Daily Telegraph: “He feels very stupid. He is extremely remorseful. He is feeling very sorry for himself and on his way home in accordance with his plans. Nobody has been physically hurt. He really does deeply regret it.” The England fan had travelled to Moscow with friends for the last-16 match, and it is thought they had been drinking before the game. Hall, an ardent Arsenal fan who attended a £26,000-a-year prep school in Northamptonshire, was in high spirits when he daubed “England” as he walked past the statue to Fyodor Cherenkov, who died in 2014 after playing 15 years for Spartak Moscow and the Soviet national team.
Stadium security identified Hall using CCTV and grabbed him from the stands, Russian media reported. The paint was wiped off, according to reports by other fans, and left no sign of damage. But by then, the incident had already enraged Russian fans and media.
“English fans have defiled the Cherenkov monument,” one Spartak supporter told The Telegraph. “All of our guys are really angry.”
But Igor Lebedev, a member of parliament who previously praised the Russian hooligans who beat up English fans in Marseille in 2016, called for mercy. “You messed with us, but we will smile at you, we will wipe off the writing, restore the monument,” he said. “This will remain on your conscience, but we’re happy you came.”