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Peter Simpson

Pinch yourselves. Yes, this spectacular week did happen. The greatest comeback was achieved in Barcelona, a gobsmacking rally against defeat witnessed in Germany and a rout to end all routs in North London.
Miracles at the Nou Camp, a hat-trick in Signal Iduna Park and a mauling at the Emirates Stadium.
Grown-ups blubbed, commentators scarred vocal chords and the watching world celebrated the wonder of football – the drama, the tension, the roller coaster raid through the spectrum of emotion, from pathos to rapture in 90 breathless minutes – knockout football at its most brutal and sublime, a showcase of European finery.
You’d like to think the host of football’s next global festival – Russia’s 2018 World Cup – would be taking encouragement from the last seven days.

Fat chance. During the week of weeks, a leading Russian politician, Igor Lebedev, revealed his big sports idea – to legalise football hooliganism and put 20 thugs in an arena dressed in their team’s colours and watch them knock seven bells out of each other. There would a be points system and league table – top Saturday night telly for the family.
In any other week you’d dismiss Lebedev’s comments.
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Only problem is Lebedev is the deputy speaker of the Duma, Russia’s parliament, and is head of his party’s youth wing and here’s the clincher – he sits on the board of the Russian Football Union.
He’s serious. He published his proposal on his party’s website, stating: “Russia would be a pioneer in a new sport. Fans arrive, for example, and start picking fights. And they get the answer – challenge accepted. A meeting in a stadium at a set time.”

Following clashes between his country’s fans and England supporters at Euro 2016, Lebedev said he “did not see anything terrible about fans fighting”.
Russia has significant hooliganism problem, just as the UK and other countries once had. Only the latter nations have moved on, grown up and have the police, rule of law and free media to condone hooliganism whenever it threatens to rise again.
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The problem with Russia’s football thuggery is that all the evidence points to the state run by the same cronies and shadowy figures who sanctioned the mass state doping of Russian athletes.
A recently shown BBC documentary recorded a hooligan leader, known as “Vasily the Killer”, claiming Russia’s so-called Ultras “were special military forces of football hooligans sent by Vladimir Putin to conquer Europe” at Euro 2016 in France last summer.

Lebedev, you’ll recall, initially congratulated the attackers for defending their country’s honour before Uefa threatened to throw them and England out the tournament.
He has a worryingly close association with another hooligan leader Alexander Shprygin, who ran across Marseille like a Viking and was deported from France.
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Only when the images of violence in France ran alongside those of the armed thuggery in Ukraine and began to tar Russia as a nation run by violent paramilitaries did President Putin feel the need to brand the supporters’ savagery a “disgrace” – though he ended the statement with a cold kicker.
Adding, to laughter among his fawning courtiers, he cracked: “I don’t know how 50 Russian fans could beat several thousand of the British...”.

Into such rich wit and repertoire will the football family walk in 15 months.
True, not too long ago English hooligans shamed the UK and harmed the game, and thankfully were banned from travelling, their teams ousted from competitions and treated with disdain for years, a tough lesson they most have learned by.
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But Russia’s hooligan problem has much darker overtones. To even speculate the state is behind the orchestrated violence is worrying enough.
That the country’s leaders publicly cheer such mad behaviour and dare make public an idea for an unmitigated violence league should put off any fan from travelling to the country next year. God help any other foreign fan in club colours given the country’s intolerance of individual liberty.

And good luck in believing Fifa will step in and warn Russia’s leaders to rein in their boot boys ahead of 2018.
After CSKA Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg fans offered a pilot episode of Lebedev’s gladiatorial bloodlust last weekend, Fifa’s president Gianni Infantino insisted he is “not at all concerned” by such violence ahead of the World Cup.
You have to pinch yourself again to believe the beauty of the game so eloquently exhibited this week can possibly co-exist in the same universe as Fifa’s wilful ignorance and the Russian government’s love of blood sports.


A week of wonder beaten and bruised by Russian desire for a hooligans’ league

An England fan evades a smoke grenade thrown by riot French police during clashes with Russian supporters. Photo: EPA

Football Soccer - Barcelona v Paris St Germain - UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg - The Nou Camp, Barcelona, Spain - 8/3/17 Barcelona's Sergi Roberto celebrates scoring their sixth goal with team mates Reuters / Albert Gea Livepic

epa05783220 Russian President Vladimir Putin listens for a journalist's question during a joint news conference with Slovenian President Borut Pahor (not pictured) after their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 10 February 2017. Slovenian President Pahor is on an official visit to Russia. EPA/ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO / POOL

epa05246498 (FILE) A file picture dated 18 October 2015 of then UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino, reacts during the draw for the play-off matches for UEFA EURO 2016 at the UEFA Headquarters, in Nyon, Switzerland. Swiss federal police raided UEFA offices in Nyon 06 April 2015 in relation to Tv contract details leaked in the Panama Papers. EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

epa05355403 Riot police officers arrest a man after clashes bewteen English and Russian supporters at the Old Port of Marseille, France, 10 June 2016, on the eve of the UEFA EURO 2016 group B preliminary round match between England and Russia. The UEFA EURO 2016 soccer championship runs from 10 June to 10 July 2016 in France. EPA/GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO

(FILES) This file photo taken on June 18, 2016 shows Russia's football fans leader Alexander Shprygin holding a flag as he leaves with others fans the international airport Sheremetevo near Moscow late on June 18, 2016 after being expulsed from France after violent clashes with England fans. French police on June 20, 2016 arrested Russian far-right football fan leader Alexander Shprygin in Toulouse, southern France, at his country's Euro 2016 match against Wales just two days after he was expelled from France over fan violence, the interior ministry said. Shortly before his detention, Shprygin told AFP by telephone from the stadium: "I am at the match with a ticket". / AFP PHOTO / VASILY MAXIMOV

Tear gas and pepper spray comes out in Lille as English and Russian fans clash again

Football fans clash with police officers in central Lille AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN

French Police aim their flash-ball guns to disperse English fans in downtown Lille, northern France, Wednesday, June 15, 2016, one day ahead of the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match against Wales in nearby Lens. Russia were playing Slovakia at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq, near Lille on Wednesday which raised the possibility of violence after clashes between supporters from the two countries at their previous match in Marseille last weekend. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

Russia summons France ambassador to warn that relations will suffer over Euro 2016 fan arrests

Russian football fans taunt Slovakian fans sitting in a cafe in the city of Lille on June 14, 2016, the day before the Euro 2016 group B match Russia vs Slovakia at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in the northern city. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL

A Russian football fan taunts England fans (unseen) sitting in a cafe in the city of Lille on June 14, 2016, the day before the Euro 2016 group B match Russia vs Slovakia at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in the northern city. Fan violence has marred the tournament in France and Russia was warned that it faces expulsion from the competition if its supporters are involved in a repeat of stadium violence after the team's 1-1 draw with England in Marseille. / AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL

Russian supporters charges at England fans in the stands at the end of the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match between England and Russia, at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille, France, Saturday, June 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

French police watch England fans outside a bar in downtown Lille, Wednesday, June 15, 2016 ahead of the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match between Russia and Slovakia at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq, near Lille. UEFA gave Russia a suspended disqualification from the tournament after violence at their previous match against England in Marseille. (AP Photo/Niall Carson)

Uefa set to punish Russia for Euro 2016 fan violence in Marseille

French police apprehend a man in downtown Marseille. Arrests were made and a number of troublemakers have already been jailed for their actions. Photo: AP

French riot police form a line to confront England supporters in downtown Marseille, France, Friday, June 10, 2016. Some minor scuffles on Friday and the brief clashes late Thursday revived bitter memories of days of bloody fighting in this Mediterranean port city between England hooligans, Tunisia fans and locals of North African origin during the World Cup in 1998, and raised fears of more violence ahead of Saturday's European Championship match between England and Russia at the Stade Velodrome. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

French police stand near a water cannon after the Euro 2016 soccer championship group B match between England and Russia in Marseille, France Saturday, June 11, 2016. Clashes between soccer fans Saturday in Marseille's Old Port occurred for a third straight day of violence in the city. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

England supporters cover their faces after police fired tear gas following clashes after the Euro 2016 soccer championship group B match between England and Russia in Marseille, France Saturday, June 11, 2016. Clashes between soccer fans Saturday in Marseille's Old Port occurred for a third straight day of violence in the city. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Sport

Football

The beautiful game shows its best as Barcelona stun Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich down Arsenal again, but also worst side as leading Russian politician calls for organised fighting ahead of 2018 Fifa World Cup


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Home and Away

Home and Away | A week of wonder beaten and bruised by Russian desire for a hooligans’ league

The beautiful game shows its best as Barcelona stun Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich down Arsenal again, but also worst side as leading Russian politician calls for organised fighting ahead of 2018 Fifa World Cup