MOSCOW, August 3 (R-Sport) – FC Rostov fans who celebrated their team's shock 1-0 victory over Anzhi Makhachkala on Friday by taking a dip in the Caspian Sea came under attack from bitter local fans who pelted their cars with stones, local police said Saturday.
No one was seriously injured in the attack from local teenagers, but the incident highlights rising discontent in Dagestan with the billionaire-backed team's disastrous start to the 2013-14 Russian Premier League season.
“After the match, Rostov supporters decided to bathe in the sea, while 12 teenagers approached and threw stones at their car,” a police official said on condition of anonymity. “One of the fans received mild concussion and others got away with bruises.”
Ten minors were slapped with misdemeanors while a criminal investigation was initiated against the other two.
Football violence is no stranger to the southern republic, one of Russia's poorest. Zenit St. Petersburg supporters were beaten by the police forces and showered with stones by locals who protested their team's 1-0 defeat in July 2011.
In 2010, Spartak Moscow fans had to leave Dagestan under police convoy after fighting broke out at the stands, while one of their buses was later fired with pellet guns.
Anzhi, who finished a historic third last season, are yet to register a win in four games this season and languish in 13th. Rostov, by contrast, are surprise early leaders with three wins and a draw.
