Threaten Russia With Losing 2018 World Cup, Says Mp

14 June 2016 07:48

Russia should face the threat of being stripped of the right to host the World Cup unless it can assure the football authorities it can control its fans, a Tory MP has said.

Damian Collins, a member of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said the violence between English and Russian fans in France was a throwback to the "worst excesses" of the 1980s.

He questioned whether the Russian authorities were taking the issue seriously and said world football's governing body FIFA had to challenge officials about the arrangements for the 2018 World Cup.

Stripping Russia of the tournament in two years' time would be the "ultimate threat" from FIFA, Mr Collins said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The Folkestone and Hythe MP highlighted comments apparently made on social media by Russian politician Igor Lebedev, who reportedly told his country's fans to "keep it up".

"I think what's also been really worrying is the response from people in Russia to the behaviour of their fans," Mr Collins said.

"The French authorities have said they believe that this fighting was provoked by aggressive Russian gangs targeting other supporters.

"But when you get people like Igor Lebedev - not only deputy chairman of the Russian parliament but also on the executive of the Russian football association - basically defending the action of the fans and more or less telling them to keep it up, you question 'do people in Russia take this as seriously as they should?'"

The British authorities had been working to identify and punish troublemakers, he said as he questioned whether Russia was putting the same effort into tackling hooliganism.

He said: "In two years' time Russia will be hosting the World Cup. Are we convinced that the fan experience in Russia is going to be a good one if the Russian authorities don't seem that interested or willing to control their hooligans?"

The issue must be raised with the authorities in Russia by FIFA, Mr Collins said.

Put to him that there was no way the World Cup could be moved, Mr Collins said: "That is always the ultimate threat."

He said FIFA should tell Moscow: "Surely this raises concerns about the way policing will be conducted in Russia in 2018 and there needs to be a proper strategy in place to make sure we don't see a repeat of these scenes, particularly if there are concerns that Russian gangs are targeting the fans of other countries."

Source: PA-WIRE