MOSCOW, July 10 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s upper house of parliament on Wednesday gave final approval to two bills seeking to discourage bad behavior at sports events as the country gears up to host next year’s Winter Olympics and the FIFA football championship in 2018.
According to the draft legislation, anyone convicted of “hooliganism” at a sports event would be punished with a maximum seven-year ban as well as a 15,000 ruble ($450) fine. Ignoring the ban would lead to fines of up to 25,000 rubles ($750) or 15 days in jail.
Police and sports federations would be required to keep lists of violators, while stadium owners would have to install surveillance cameras to identify troublemakers.
The second bill envisions up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 1 million rubles ($30,000) for match-fixing. It also prohibits athletes, coaches or referees from placing bets on the results of events in their respective sports.
Both bills now only require President Vladimir Putin’s signature to become law.
As Russia gets ready to host the Winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, state officials have called for increased measures to prevent disorder at the international events.
Over the last three years, more than 14,000 offenses have been committed at athletic events in Russia, according to Deputy Sports Minister Natalia Parshikova.
Firework-throwing and racist chants are commonplace at Russian football matches, where violence occasionally flares up.
