In a desperate attempt to curb football violence in Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday called for the most notorious hooligans to be banned for life from matches.
A Russian league game between Dynamo Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg was called off last week after the Dynamo goalkeeper was injured when a firecracker was thrown from the Zenit stands.
More than 90 people were briefly detained after the match, but no one has been charged. Dynamo was given a 3-0 win.
In the wake of disturbances at the Dynamo-Zenit game, the government drafted a bill to introduce harsh penalties for misbehaving fans, such as temporary suspensions. But on Monday, Medvedev urged the government to go further and introduce lifetime bans.
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