Will never apologize

– You have been quoted saying that the Russians who attacked English fans in the Euro Cup game against England, defended Russia’s honor. What did you mean by that?

– You have to understand that when English fans have been shouting offensive slogans against our country, when they have been stamping over Russian flags, when they have been shouting offensive slogans against the President of our country, I think that any sensible person would have stood up for his country. Americans are ready to send the army to defend their citizens when someone offends them. In our case, we have just had fans fighting against each other (laughs). I think that such behavior is unacceptable with the fans of any country, but what the English fans have done is twice as unacceptable.

– There are reports about an English man in coma with critical damages after Russian hooligans attacked him with iron bars. What is your comment to that?

– Foreign media haven’t conducted an investigation, but they are already making assumptions that it has happened because of the Russian fans. They are not a court to make such assumptions, they don’t have the right to do this.

– You were also quoted saying that football fans go to games to fight. Are you saying that fighting is part of the Russian football culture?

– The media has misinterpreted my words. What I was saying, is that football is not just a game of eleven versus eleven players and a ball, it is also everything that is off the field, including the fans and ultras. Without those two groups no one will be going to watch football. If there is no off the pitch culture and atmosphere, there is no football. What I meant is that fighting is part of the off the pitch football culture. Fans fight like any ordinary people do sometimes.

– Are you not afraid to fuel negative stereotypes about Russia with comments like these?

– What do you want me to say? That I am sorry for our fans, that we won’t do this again? No way, in your dreams! Why are not the English apologizing to our country for stamping over Russian flags? Why are not English fans apologizing for shouting offensive slogans about our President? If we were shouting offensive slogans against Obama, you think the US would have kept silent? Of course not, we would have received hundreds of diplomatic notes and Nato ships would have been patrolling our borders. And you expect us to endure and close our eyes. No way, forget it, we won’t keep silent. Thus Europeans should understand that you can’t offend, bully, provoke. If all of that hadn’t happened, there wouldn’t be any fighting

– The Euro Cup is supposed to be a great football fest, isn’t it? Instead we see organized Russian football hooligans, according to French press, arriving in Marseille and basically smashing the place to pieces. Or are we missing something here?

– I have got lots of friends, and friends of friends, who are in France right now, who have been in Marseille a few days before the game and during the game. They have spoken with the locals, and the ordinary people of Marseille have been crying from the outrageous behavior of English fans. English fans have come to Marseille two days before the game, they have been walking the streets of the city, drinking alcohol, bothering and attacking locals, police, smashing the city, smashing shop windows, breaking chairs and making riots, an absolute mayhem. And now everyone is saying now that some hundred Russian lads have come to fight English fans. That is pure bullshit. In this case, politics have again interfered with football as usual. The relations between Russia and the West are not at the best point, thus Russia only have to make a minor offence and we get the whole wave of criticism.

– Who is to blame for what has happened, all the violence et cetera?

– The French authorities have found themselves not ready for the European Cup. They are incapable of providing simple order at a stadium and in a city. At no game you will see fans of different teams mixing together as they are entering a stadium. In the city, police shouldn’t let them cross passes so to avoid fighting. This is a normal situation for any city hosting a major football event. And what do we see in France? Croatian fans have fought with Turkish fans, Polish fans have fought Northern Ireland fans, Russian fans have fought English fans. Who is to blame? Fans? No, the authorities are to blame. They don’t know how to organize such events.

– But don't you think that your statements will only trigger more violence?

– Our boys are in a foreign country right now with the French police, all foreign media, all fan groups from other countries are against them. And you want them to expect to hear criticism and threats from their own country? No way, this is wrong. Yes, they are guilty, they have committed illegal actions and we will sort this out when they come home. But while they are still there, we express the words of support for them.

– What's your view of the English fans?

– All over the world English fans are known for being malicious violators of order. Everyone in the world knows that if there is an English football club in town, or God forbid their National team, a city or a country has to undertake extra security measures towards English fans because that happens everywhere, everytime. I can’t understand why French authorities haven’t taken extra precautions. And everything that has happened now, is the result of their passivity in dealing with that. French special forces with tear gas against 15.000 English fans, this is a joke, it is like a mosquito bite. Of course, the English fans have smashed the whole city of Marseille and continued to riot at the stadium. People who I know and who were at England versus Russia game, told me that the English fans had been shouting offensive slogans during the whole course of the game, against our President, against our athletes, including Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, against our team and our fans. You have to understand that not a single grownup man will endure so many offensive words addressed his way. That is why I completely understand why Russian fans had to answer. Yes, maybe, they had to hold back and not give away to provocation. Maybe they had to keep silent. But the Biblical commandment that says «whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also» doesn’t work in this case.

– You have to understand that when this incident has taken place, the British press has come up with headlines to show how the English fans are so white and fluffy, that all of them are nice and cultured boys and girls who have come to watch football, and no one understands why some of them have been arrested. The British media has made out of their fans an innocent child. Though the whole world, the whole world knows that the most disorderly fans are English fans.

– You want to forgive the Russian fans and defend them, but you have also said that you will sort this out when the Russians come home. How will you sort it out?

– We have got Russian law here. Moreover we have recently passed an amendment to the law that allows to make a decision against particularly violent fans forbidding them to attend football games for a certain period of time. We’ve also got administrative punishment in a form of corrective work, arrest up to 15 days in prison, fines. Thus if the French police will pass on their files on the fans that have violated order with the exact names, dates and places, we have all the rights to punish them according to the Russian law.

– Sports minister Vitaly Mutko criticized the violence. How do you view his response?

– Mr. Mutko is an official and the head of the Russian Football Federation, Minister of Sport. His position is an official one. I partly agree with him that the fans’ behavior leaves much to be desired and what is happening is bad for the country’s image and can damage the destiny of the Russian team at the Euro Cup. But from a human standpoint and from someone who is of the same age as our boys in France, I express the words of support for them, but again I repeat, it doesn’t mean I approve their actions. Just imagine, a few days ago 40 Russian fans were kept in a bus for 10 hours without water, food, no access to toilet. How can I not support those people!? If they are guilty, then arrest the ones who are guilty, but let the others go. But it is inhuman to hold 40 people in a bus for 10 hours without any charges, court decision or even motives.

– Do the majority in the Russian football federation share your views?

– Though I am part of the federation, I can’t make any statement on their behalf.

– How about in the Duma?

– My colleagues within my political party and I am sure within Duma share my point of view. Moreover, we have just recently had a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lavrov. I’ve asked him personally how the ministry is going to provide consular support for our boys in France, including the situation with the 40 Russian fans, and the minister said that he was ready to provide any support for our fans. He also called yesterday’s situation with the bus ridiculous, because all possible human rights and diplomatic conventions have been violated in that particular case, thus the minister has fully supported all our statements and actions.

– Will you welcome fighting in the World Cup in Russia in two years?

– This won’t happen in Russia in 2018 because our law enforcement agencies have lots of experience working with the fan firms, we have got a perfect system of working with fans at stadiums, fans of different teams will never cross passes when entering and leaving stadiums. They will be leaving arenas at different times. They won’t fight in the city centre because the police will make sure it doesn’t happen. The police will single out leaders of the fan firms and will have an explanatory conversation with each and everyone of them. Russian law enforcement will provide order 100 percent.

– Do you fear the protests against Russia as a host for the next World Cup?

– We have been threatened by those protests for the past couple of years now. They are saying «we will take it away, we will move it to a different place, we will have another country to host it». That won’t happen. And the new President of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, has already stated that the World Cup 2018 will be held in Russia. He has come to our country several times, he has got himself familiarized with the preparations for the Championship. Let’s put an end to raising any questions about this anymore, let’s stop stirring up this topic. The World Cup 2018 will be hosted by Russia. Stop questioning this.