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UEFA to announce set of new penalties against CSKA Moscow FC

The penalties are imposed on the CSKA Moscow FC due to poor behavior of its fans at the Champions League club’s away match against AS Roma earlier this month
CSKA football fans Valery Sharifulin/TASS
CSKA football fans
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Russia Football Union’s (RFU) disciplinary committee had been recently also very active imposing penalties on domestic football clubs for their fans' misconduct during the games. Two days ago the committee imposed a set of sanctions against Spartak Moscow football club, citing their fans’ poor behavior at a match last week against Zenit St. Petersburg FC.

Spartak was fined 450,000 rubles (over $11,370) because its fans delivered intimidating and race-hate statements, particularly in regard to Zenit’s Brazilian forward Hulk, used fireworks and cast flares. The club was also ordered to play its next away match, which will be played against Ural FC, with empty fans stands.

Fans behavior during football matches in Russia was in particular focus in May after one of football players suffered a concussion at the hands of fans during the match time. Dozens of Zenit FC fans rushed to the pitch of the Petrovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg on the 87th minute of the match on May 11, attacking players as Zenit was losing 2-4. One of the fans punched in the head Dynamo Moscow FC captain Vladimir Granat, who was later hospitalized and diagnosed with concussion.

One of the cases in the chain of penalties might seem strange but it is true as Lokomotiv Moscow FC was fined on Wednesday 5,000 rubles ($126) because a stray dog ran out in the pitch during the club’s home match against Amkar Perm FC.

Security and fans behavior during football matches is under a close attention of the Russian football authorities also because the country is in full swing preparations for hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2018.

Russia won the bid to host the 2018 World Cup over three years ago in a tight race against the joint bid from England, Portugal and Spain and the joint bid on behalf of Belgium and the Netherlands.

Following an official ceremony held in September 2012 and attended by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, Russia eventually selected 11 out of the earlier proposed 13 cities, excluding Krasnodar and Yaroslavl. The final list of the 2018 World Cup host cities includes Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.

The matches of the 2018 World Cup will be held at 12 stadiums located in the 11 cities across Russia.