×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Zenit Handed Stadium Ban After Fan Attacks Player

Zenit St. Petersburg has been handed a two-game stadium ban for next season over an incident in which fans stormed the pitch, one of them attacking an opposition player.

Dynamo Moscow defender Vladimir Granat was treated for a head injury after a fan punched him during the pitch invasion, which forced the Russian Premier League game to be abandoned.

The Russian Football Union's disciplinary committee handed Dynamo a 3-0 win, in a game which they had been leading 4-2 before fans took to the field.

Zenit's first two home games of next season will be played behind closed doors and the area of the Petrovsky stadium where Zenit's hardcore fans sit will be closed for a further three matches. The club was also fined 1 million rubles ($28,800).

The sanctions are similar to Zenit's punishment in 2012 when a pyrotechnic device thrown by one of its fans exploded near Dynamo goalkeeper Anton Shunin, leaving him with an eye injury. On that occasion, a two-match stadium ban was also issued.

Zenit's general director Maxim Mitrofanov said in a statement that Wednesday's ruling was "tough" and said the club was reforming its security.

"The club, together with the police and the city, is now drawing up a range of measures, both of a legal and organizational nature, dedicated to never again allowing unlawful and illegal acts by fans at the stadium," he said.

When the fan who struck Granat is tracked down, the club will try to force him to pay some of the club's fine, Mitrofanov added.

Mitrofanov was given a formal warning earlier Monday by St. Petersburg prosecutors, who said that the number of security staff at the game — 260 for a crowd of 19,000 — was criminally low. If improvements are not made soon, further legal action will likely be taken against the club.

Zenit sits second in the league and will become Russian champions for the fourth time with a win over FC Kuban on Thursday if CSKA Moscow fails to beat Lokomotiv Moscow.

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more