Putin Signs Law Toughening Penalties for Fans Amid 2018 World Cup Preparations

Russian President Vladimir Putin, amid preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, has signed a federal law that will toughen administrative responsibility for football fans and introduce penalties for gross violations of rules of conduct during sporting events.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The fines for violating a ban on visiting official sport events grew by 50 percent to anywhere betwee 40,000 and 50,000 rubles ($713-892). Alternative penalties of administrative detention for up to 15 days were preserved.

Should one violate the rules of conduct during a match, the new law stipulates that he or she pay a fine of up to 20,000 rubles, or accept 15 days of administrative detention with the ban on attending official sports events for seven years.

Foreigners or persons without Russian citizenship may now face 15 days of administrative detention and subsequent deportation, or a fine of up to 50,000 rubles and the ban on attendance to official sporting events for seven years.

Foreigners may also be denied entry into Russia in case of having violated, or intending to violate, the rules of conduct during sports events in Russia or outside the country.

In March, The Mirror published an article about two football hooligan gangs, namely Landscrona and the Uralmash Steel Monsters, allegedly training to fist fight as a means to attack English fans during the 2018 football event. The article's corresponding photos and videos were taken during a traditional Russian Maslenitsa festival. Moscow-based cultural center said The Mirror demonstrated ignorance of Russian traditions related to Maslenitsa festivities, and instead attempted to politicize them.

The concerns over Russian football hooligans emerged after the UEFA Euro 2016 championship in France, where at least 30 people were injured in clashes between Russia and England fans after a football match in Marseille. In mid-February, BBC aired a film entitled "Russia's Hooligan Army" based on the 2016 events. Russian Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Russian Football Union Vitaly Mutko said the documentary was not only another attack on Russia, but an attempt to discredit the country.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be in venues located in over 10 Russian cities in June and July 2018. The event will be the first ever World Cup to take place in Eastern Europe.