78 fans detained overRussian Cup match violence

Police detained 78 soccer fans in connection with crowd violence during the Russian Cup match between Shinnik Yaroslavl and Spartak Moscow on Wednesday, the head of the interior ministry in the Yaroslavl region said.

Spartak fans threw flares and smoke bombs before the match and during the first half.

The situation worsened a few minutes after the break when visiting supporters clashed with riot police, ripping out seats and hurling them onto the pitch.

Pictures also showed a fan holding a Nazi banner.

“We believe that it was a planned provocation,” Nikolay Trifonov, the head of the interior ministry in the Yaroslavl region, told a news conference.

“We have no complaints about the Shinnik fans, all the provocations came from Spartak fans. After the match, we detained 78 people.”

The Yaroslavl police have opened a probe into vandalism that could lead to jail terms of up to three years.

Referee Sergey Kostevic interrupted the game in the 53rd minute and ordered the players into the dressing room.

The police restored order by bringing in a water cannon truck that fired a jet of water into the stands.

The game resumed more than 20 minutes later with Spartak winning 1-0 through a Dmitri Kombarov penalty.

REUTERS