MOSCOW, November 22 (R-Sport) – Spartak Moscow is seeking to recover some 15 million rubles ($450,000) in compensation from a football fan whose swastika-waving antics at a recent game incurred a big fine for the Russian football club, spokesman Alexei Matveyev told R-Sport on Friday.
The Russian football association fined Spartak $18,500 and ordered the team to play two games behind closed doors following their Russian Cup match against second-tier Shinnik Yaroslavl last month. The October 30 game suffered crowd violence and was held up for 30 minutes while police fired water cannons at brawling fans.
"The team really are going to sue him for 15 million rubles," Matveyev said.
Earlier this month, Spartak owner Leonid Fedun said the team budget came up $1.4 million short due to losses from ticket sales for the top matches against city rivals Lokomotiv and league leaders Zenit St. Petersburg.
He also claimed the flag-waver was a "professional provocateur" out to sabotage Spartak's season.
The unnamed football fan who is reportedly a resident of the Vladimir Region and has been sentenced to seven days in prison Wednesday.
In February, Zenit set a precedent, claiming 20,000 rubles ($605) from a football fan who invaded the field.
