72 Soccer Fans Detained in Urals City After Brawl – Police

Six dozen soccer fans rooting for rival teams in the Urals Mountains were detained Saturday after a brawl, police said.

The drawl took place before the match between Ural Yekaterinburg and Amkar Perm in the city of Yekaterinburg, police said. The regional police spokesman told RIA Novosti that the detained fans may be “disqualified” from attending future matches of the team they root for.

The match between Ural Yekaterinburg and Amkar Perm ended in a 0-0 draw.

In early July, Russia’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday gave its final approval for legislation to increase security at sports events and toughen punishments for rowdy fans.

Anyone convicted of “hooliganism” at a sports event would be punished with a maximum seven-year ban as well as a 15,000 ruble ($450) fine, according to the bill.

Russia is set to host the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 FIFA World Cup football championship, and state officials have called for increased measures to prevent disorder at the international events.

Over the last three years, more than 14,000 offenses have been committed at athletic events in Russia, said Deputy Sports Minister Natalia Parshikova. Firework-throwing and racist chants are commonplace at Russian football matches, where violence occasionally erupts.