Putin supporter says English and Russian yobs ‘should fight in organised battles’ at World Cup
HOOLIGAN battles between Russian and English yobs should be allowed at the World Cup and regulated by authorities, a top Russian politician said yesterday.
Vladimir Putin supporter Igor Lebedev, 45, even suggested bloody brawls could become showcase events in Russia 2018 stadia later this month.
Ultranationalist Lebedev - deputy chairman of the Russian parliament and Russian FA executive committee member - said: “Imagine English fans coming, for example, so they come and start to brag.
“And our answer will be: the challenge was accepted, see you this time at the stadium.
“Twenty people from each side, no guns.
"Read the rules on our website.”
Lebedev’s comments came as Russian authorities tried to assure visiting fans that its fearsome yobs will not pose a threat.
Putin pledged to crush the hooligan gangs who sparked mayhem at Euro 2016 in France, leaving two England fans in comas and 35 injured in Marseille.
The Kremlin’s FSB intelligence service is understood to have warned hooligan godfathers to muzzle their attack dogs or face years in hellhole gulag jails.
But Lebedev flouted the official Kremlin line yesterday by openly saluting the mindless thugs.
He said: “We all have to understand that there are things which we can't escape.”
He claimed: “Our fans are fighters, but not hooligans and fan fights can be turned into sport…..we can introduce rules and run competitions.”
The shock proposals - just six days before the FIFA soccer spectacular kicks off in Moscow - came as glamorous ex-spy Anna Chapman issued her own yob warnings yesterday.
Femme fatale Chapman claimed Russian Ultra leaders were even arranging “castings” to select teams for World Cup battles.
Flame haired Chapman, 36, expelled from the US after the FBI caught her spying, used her social media to call for a discussion on the Lebedev plan.
She asked: “Tell me what do you think - are you ready for fan fights to be legalised?”
She claimed the “strongest fights usually involve British fans”.
“Insiders also report that leaders of Russian fan groups arrange ‘castings’ to select fighters for upcoming wars with rival fans’ groups,” she wrote.
“Today the most unforgiving fights happen not at stadiums, but ahead of games in forests.
“Such fights are nothing like 20 years ago when they involved drunk youngsters;.
“Nowadays they have professional trained fighters ….”
Both Lebedev and Chapman have spoken up for Russian soccer thugs in the past.
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Lebedev said after the Battle of Marseille he crowed: "The boys protected the honour of the country and did not give the English a chance to abuse our motherland.
“Our fans must be understood and forgiven.
"I see nothing wrong in the fans' fighting.
"On the contrary, well done, our guys. Carry on!”
Chapman - stripped her her British passport by Theresa May in the wake of the spying scandal - added: "Everyone knows that the wildest football fans in the world are the English.”
"A lot of them don't even buy tickets to see the games because their goal is not football, but showing the French who's the boss."
But she boasted that the Russians - who she alleged were outnumbered five to one - still managed to beat the English.
"The fact that ours beat the English is without comment at all…"