MOSCOW, April 10 (R-Sport) - British law was the template for anti-hooligan legislation currently passing through Russia's lower house of parliament, a lawmaker said on Wednesday.
A bill that stiffens penalties for bad behavior from spectators at large sports events passed its first reading in the State Duma on Tuesday and is expected to sail through its mandatory second and third readings before being signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.
"In a lot of our positions we oriented ourselves on the experience of Britain," said Igor Ananskikh who heads a parliamentary committee on physical culture, sports and youth policy.
"In Britain they not only managed to straighten out the situation with fans but introduce wholesale changes," he added.
Britain tackled its deeply entrenched hooliganism movement with the help of the 1989 Football Supporters Act, which banned people convicted of public order offenses from attending games, among other measures.
"The thing is that we don't have 30 years to correct it, like the British did," Ananskikh said, comparing the 2012 London Olympics with the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.
"In the next few years Russia will hold more than 20 of the biggest (sporting) events," he added. "Take the world athletics championships, which will have representatives from more than 200 states."
According to the proposed legislation, violent fans would receive a one-time fine of $32 and suspension of one to six months. If the fan's behavior led to the disruption of play, the penalty would increase to $64 and could include up to 15 days in jail along with a one-year suspension. Ignoring the ban would lead to fines of up to $160 or 15 days in jail.
Earlier this week, deputy speaker of the lower house and Olympic Committee chief Alexander Zhukov said the real aim of the bill is to usher in family-friendly atmosphere common at English sports venues.
