MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a federal law that gives courts the right to ban individuals who were previously convicted of violating the rules of conduct in stadiums from visiting official sports events, according to a document published on the government's legal information portal.
"The court can impose an administrative ban on visiting places of official competitions on those brought to administrative responsibility for misconduct," the document reads.
The so-called black list of hooligans is recorded by law enforcement agencies. Therefore, organizers of sports events will have to identify those in attendance not later than three hours before the start of the competition.
The law has already come into force, except for the requirements of event organizers, for whom the new rules will take effect on January 1, 2017.