Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Football Fans Brawl in Street Battles at Away Game in Hungary

Screenshot Twitter / mossakovskiy

Fans of CSKA Moscow clashed with fans of Hungary’s Ferencváros TC ahead of the two teams’ UEFA Europa League match in Budapest, as seen in videos posted on social media.

The first clash happened in the Budapest metro Thursday, when CSKA fans packed metro cars, then broke glass bottles and doused the police with water.

The OFNEWS Telegram channel reported that CSKA fans teamed up with hooligans from Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia and Serbia’s FK Partizan against fans from Ferencváros and Poland’s WKS Śląsk Wrocław. As many as 300 people were reportedly involved in the brawl. 

On their way to the stadium, CSKA hooligans clashed with other local fans. Videos show a heavy police presence in the streets, with mounted police and police dogs. One group of Russian fans was reportedly attacked by Hungarian fans shouting anti-Russian slogans. 

Once the football match began, Ferencváros fans held up banners to represent a huge Hungarian flag with a hole cut in the center — the symbol of resistance against the Soviet military intervention in Budapest in 1956.

Meanwhile, CSKA fans putting up a banner saying: “Say yes to fanaticism."

The game itself ended in a 0-0 tie, virtually ruling out CSKA's progression to the playoffs.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

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 you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more