MOSCOW, June 21 (R-Sport) - Russia's lower house of parliament voted on Friday in favor of amendments allowing convicted hooligans to be banned from sports events for up to seven years.
The amendments are part of a bill known as the Fan Law that the authorities say is aimed squarely at keeping the 2018 football World Cup in Russia safe from hooligans.
The bill must now pass a crucial second reading in the Duma on Friday evening and then a third reading, usually a formality, set for July 3, before going to the upper house and then to President Vladimir Putin for final approval.
The bans would apply to those convicted of an offense at a sports event, with the minimum ban set at six months. Currently, there is no provision in Russian law for such a sanction.
It was not immediately clear what penalties would be applied to a banned fan found at a sports event.
The proposed Russian sanctions are less severe than those in Britain, another country with a history of football hooliganism. British football banning orders range from three to 10 years and include a provision to confiscate hooligans’ passports when their team plays abroad.
More than 14,000 offenses have been committed at Russian sporting events over the last three years, according to Deputy Sports Minister Natalia Parshikova. Firework-throwing and racist chants are commonplace at Russian football matches, while violence occasionally erupts.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has previously called for disruptive supporters to be slapped with life bans from all sports events.
Many Russian football supporters, including Spartak Moscow's vast fan club, are unhappy about a provision in the law that would force anyone buying tickets to a sports event to present ID at point of sale. This is already set to be implemented voluntarily by the Russian Premier League from next season.
