Police detain 64 football fans after Ural-Lokomotiv match in Sochi
Police detained a total of 64 football fans following the final match of the Russia Cup between Lokomotiv Moscow FC and Ural Yekaterinburg FC, held on May 2 at the newly-reconstructed Fisht Arena in in the southern city of Sochi, a senior football official told TASS on May 3.
The match, which ended with Lokomotiv’s 2-0 victory, was marred by several incidents involving fans of the football club from Moscow.
"A total of 64 football fans were detained after the match and one of them was placed under the 15-day custody," Vladimir Markin, the head of the Russian Football Union’s (RFU) Committee on security and interaction with football fans, said.
Following the first scored goal on the 76th minute of the game, several football fans managed to break through the security cordon and rushed out on the pitch. The similar incident reoccurred after the final whistle, while a group of Lokomotiv FC fans began fighting each other on spectator stands, with several of them eventually taken to hospitals.
Security and fans behavior before, during and after football matches is in particular focus of the Russian football authorities as the country is currently in full swing preparations for hosting the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.