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At the 2016 European Championships, violent clashes between Russian and English supporters in Marseille put the spotlight on Russian hooliganism. Russian hooligans injured over 100 English supporters, beating two into a coma. It was some of the worst football violence seen at an international tournament and raised serious concerns ahead of millions of fans travelling to Russia for the 2018 World Cup.
To find out what UK football supporters could face, filmmaker Alex Stockley von Statzer travels to Russia to experience the country’s football fan culture first-hand for the BBC’s international current affairs strand This World. Featuring footage filmed in Marseille in 2016, rare interviews with members of some of the most feared firms like the Spartak Gladiators and Orel Butchers, and new footage of an organised fight for wannabe recruits.
Russia’s Hooligan Army uncovers a world where brutal violence has become a mark of honour and a symbol of newly resurgent Russian masculinity.
Most Russian hooligans have moved away from the English movement that inspired them in the 1970s and 1980s. Today they are organised in firms that are teetotal, physically fit and trained in mixed martial arts. Hooligan firms have become popular in the country and are an inspiration to many young men.
With the World Cup on the horizon, the Russian police are trying to get tough. Police have enacted new laws promising bans and jail for any fans that cause trouble and are heavily policing stadiums. Alex travels to Oryol to speak to the Orel Butchers who violently attacked English fans in Marseille. In a rare interview we hear one hooligan taking relish in describing a merciless attack by a number of Russians who kicked an England fan in the head - an attack that was also caught on camera.
Alex also travels to Rostov, which will host five games at the World Cup, to film an organised fight in the woods. Here he meets with a local firm getting ready to audition for new members. Young men fight in a no holds barred brawl against young fighters from another local firm. It’s a vicious clash similar to what was witnessed in Marseille and is one of the hundreds of fights that firms arrange all across Russia.
Pictured: Spartak Moscow fans inside the stadium during the derby against CSKA Moscow
The hair and the beard have gone I am now conforming to society, tis a sad day
The b*stards are coming back though
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Russia's Hooligan Army on 19:15 - Feb 16 with 7383 views
The Russians were fine with us Welsh out in France, drinking together.
Swansea Indepenent Poster Of The Year 2021. Dr P / Mart66 / Roathie / Parlay / E20/ Duffle was 2nd, but he is deluded and thinks in his little twisted brain that he won. Poor sod. We let him win this year, as he has cried for a whole year. His 14 usernames, bless his cotton socks.
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Russia's Hooligan Army on 19:54 - Feb 16 with 7281 views
Russia's Hooligan Army on 19:15 - Feb 16 by perchrockjack
Yet ,selected for a World Cup.
Surprising how far a few £££££ in brown envelopes goes really. Going to be worse if the FIFA muppet gets his wish for 3 or 4 countries sharing the spoils for each WC
If you wake up breathing, thats a good start to your day and you'll make many thousands of people envious.
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Russia's Hooligan Army on 20:09 - Feb 16 with 7233 views
I'll watch this. I've always wanted to go to Russia, but I know that we're not speaking about the world of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and Chekhov here. Well, maybe Dostoevsky in some respects.
I've been meaning to go to St. Petersburg and Moscow for a couple of years now, but never got around to it. Some of the 2018 venues should be approached with a bit of caution. I know that Kazan is known across Russia as being home to one of their biggest crime syndicates. Did any of us on here travel to Krasnodar when we played Kuban in the Europa League? I was at the home leg.
I've learned the Cyrillic alphabet, so I can read what signs say. My Serbian mate helped with that. The next step is learning what things mean once you can say them ...
[Post edited 16 Feb 2017 20:36]
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Russia's Hooligan Army on 20:53 - Feb 16 with 7052 views
Unrelated to epaul's original post about Russian hooligans, but anyway, here's a story from American comedian Burt Kreischer about getting involved with the Russian mafia. Funny stuff.
[Post edited 16 Feb 2017 21:00]
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Russia's Hooligan Army on 21:18 - Feb 16 with 6974 views
I'll watch this. I've always wanted to go to Russia, but I know that we're not speaking about the world of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and Chekhov here. Well, maybe Dostoevsky in some respects.
I've been meaning to go to St. Petersburg and Moscow for a couple of years now, but never got around to it. Some of the 2018 venues should be approached with a bit of caution. I know that Kazan is known across Russia as being home to one of their biggest crime syndicates. Did any of us on here travel to Krasnodar when we played Kuban in the Europa League? I was at the home leg.
I've learned the Cyrillic alphabet, so I can read what signs say. My Serbian mate helped with that. The next step is learning what things mean once you can say them ...
[Post edited 16 Feb 2017 20:36]
It's a fascinating and absorbing country and for many reasons. I've travelled as far east as Izhevsk which is an incredible place and none more so for the fact that it was a closed city until fairly recent times, this meant that you wouldn't find the place on a map which is quite staggering when you consider that the population is in the region of 800,000. It's also the birthplace of the Kalashnikov and even now you can't get near the manufacturing location. The place is crawling with oligarchs who are instantly recognisable by the black vehicles they drive although it feels fairly safe on the streets. I've travelled here in both summer and winter and temperatures have ranged from +30 deg C to - 30 deg C. I would advise against using internal flights unless it's absolutely necessary, the airline that flies between Moscow and Izhevsk doesn't possess the appropriate safety licences so travel insurance is generally invalid. The better alternative is by train but this takes up to 36 hrs although you can secure a private sleeper cabin for £50 or less.
Moscow and St Pete's are both sprawling masses and I prefer StP of the two. The Nevsky Propsekt is very nice and you can easily navigate on the metro from there out to some of the more remote sights. I've been to one Zenit home game which was a right eye opener, the local guy I went with basically told me to keep my mouth shut and keep the English to a minimum. There is a fantastic new stadium being built on the edge of the city which will form part of the WC line up.
Finally as for the Euros, I concur with what Builthy said; we spent 2 night drinking in the bars of Toulouse with our Russian comrades and didn't see one ounce of trouble. Admittedly it didn't look that way beforehand but we needn't have worried.
Russia's Hooligan Army on 21:18 - Feb 16 by Cooperman
It's a fascinating and absorbing country and for many reasons. I've travelled as far east as Izhevsk which is an incredible place and none more so for the fact that it was a closed city until fairly recent times, this meant that you wouldn't find the place on a map which is quite staggering when you consider that the population is in the region of 800,000. It's also the birthplace of the Kalashnikov and even now you can't get near the manufacturing location. The place is crawling with oligarchs who are instantly recognisable by the black vehicles they drive although it feels fairly safe on the streets. I've travelled here in both summer and winter and temperatures have ranged from +30 deg C to - 30 deg C. I would advise against using internal flights unless it's absolutely necessary, the airline that flies between Moscow and Izhevsk doesn't possess the appropriate safety licences so travel insurance is generally invalid. The better alternative is by train but this takes up to 36 hrs although you can secure a private sleeper cabin for £50 or less.
Moscow and St Pete's are both sprawling masses and I prefer StP of the two. The Nevsky Propsekt is very nice and you can easily navigate on the metro from there out to some of the more remote sights. I've been to one Zenit home game which was a right eye opener, the local guy I went with basically told me to keep my mouth shut and keep the English to a minimum. There is a fantastic new stadium being built on the edge of the city which will form part of the WC line up.
Finally as for the Euros, I concur with what Builthy said; we spent 2 night drinking in the bars of Toulouse with our Russian comrades and didn't see one ounce of trouble. Admittedly it didn't look that way beforehand but we needn't have worried.
Their mission was to teach the English hooligans a lesson Coops, and that they did. As you say, fine with us, very friendly in fact.
Swansea Indepenent Poster Of The Year 2021. Dr P / Mart66 / Roathie / Parlay / E20/ Duffle was 2nd, but he is deluded and thinks in his little twisted brain that he won. Poor sod. We let him win this year, as he has cried for a whole year. His 14 usernames, bless his cotton socks.
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Russia's Hooligan Army on 21:40 - Feb 16 with 6897 views
Braindead retards highly representative of what is a gangster state in the first place. Most foul nation on the face of the earth. Darwinian principles of survival are being put into action on this program and are doing us all a favour - let them eliminate each other. Who'd miss 'em?
Luckily for normal people who don't indulge themselves in this hooligan crap, our only interaction with Russians is in European holiday resorts. There they conduct themselves in the image of their nation - yobbish, thuggish, arrogant, ignorant, lacking politesse and manners. There must be good Russians, but I've never met one. Horrible people.
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Russia's Hooligan Army on 22:23 - Feb 16 with 6743 views
Swansea Indepenent Poster Of The Year 2021. Dr P / Mart66 / Roathie / Parlay / E20/ Duffle was 2nd, but he is deluded and thinks in his little twisted brain that he won. Poor sod. We let him win this year, as he has cried for a whole year. His 14 usernames, bless his cotton socks.
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Russia's Hooligan Army on 22:29 - Feb 16 with 6706 views
As the England fans sang ... We're England and Wales, we're England and Wales ! We are shit scared. we're England and Wales !
Cardiff fans sang that with them also. Outside the large bar by Lille station a few Cardiff fans got up with their Flag and started singing England England England. Pissed up Cardiff boys.
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Russia's Hooligan Army on 23:47 - Feb 16 with 6520 views
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