Hundreds of Russian Football Fans Detained for Starting Stadium Fire

Sep. 30, 2014

After a makeshift fireworks display set fire to a section of seats at football team Kazan Rubin's newly-constructed home stadium on Monday, 521 overzealous fans were detained, according to a police statement.

As Rubin played Moscow team Torpedo in the Tatarstan capital, eager fans set off flares and other pyrotechnics.

A resulting fire damaged 20 seats, destroying three of them entirely, according to a statement released by the Tatarstan Interior Ministry Tuesday.

The teams kept playing despite the fire, with Rubin beating Torpedo 2 to 1.

According to the police statement, 210 of the detained football fans were minors. Administrative charges were filed against 30 of the minors' parents over the failure to prevent harm to their children's health and development.

Administrative charges were likewise filed against 23 adult fans for misconduct, being drunk in public and consuming alcohol in public places. They now face fines, or administrative arrests for up to 15 days.

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