Rampaging football fans have opened up a new sporting crisis for Russia as it battles doping scandals and doubts about the World Cup that it will host in two years.
Sanctions that UEFA is considering against Russia over pitched fights, racist chants and fireworks hurled around the European Championship game against England have been a new blow to Russia’s reputation.
Images of fans preparing for battle with gumshields and batons, charging through Marseille’s old town with chairs over their heads ready to throw have gone around the world.
Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has predicted his country will merely be fined.
But there is a lot of damage limitation to be done. Mutko is already struggling with international enquiries into doping in Russian athletics and other sports.
The International Association of Athletics Federations is to decide on Friday whether to readmit Russia into international competition so it can take part in the Rio Olympics in August.
Following accusations of “state-sponsored” doping in athletics, Russia is also under investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency over allegations that doping samples were fixed at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Swiss prosecutors are also still probing how Russia was awarded the 2018 World Cup as part of their look at FIFA’s affairs.
Mutko knows he has a job on his hands to convince the football world that all will be well in 2018.
Russia’s fans “are disgracing the country and think this is normal,” he said.As hosts of the future world championship, we must preserve our image and people shouldn’t spoil it,” he added.
Racism is commonplace at Russian football matches.
Fans have thrown bananas at black players and Zenit St Petersburg’s Brazilian striker Hulk, has repeatedly complained of being a target of racial insults at Russian league matches.
A 2014 law punishes fan violence with up to eight years in prison. A draft law submitted to parliament last month that would set up a blacklist of violent fans who would be barred from sporting events.
“Some people won’t like this of course, it is extra money for stadiums, but security is most important thing,” the head of the Russian lower house of parliament’s sports committee, Dmitry Svishchev told R-Sport news agency.