UEFA: Russia’s In Trouble

June 13th, 2012 | by: chris | Comments Off

No. No it isn’t. (That banner was seen at yesterday’s Poland-Russia match. Turns out a great many of the fans in attendance struggle with geography.)

Russia’s on the UEFA naughty list, incurring a fine of $150,000 and a suspended sentence for Euro 2016 qualifying after some fans attacked Polish stewards on the weekend.

UEFA says Russia could be deducted six points in its Euro 2016 qualifying group for a repeat offense. The probationary period expires at the end of Euro 2016 qualifying.

Russian fans were filmed fighting with stadium staff in Wroclaw after a 4-1 win over the Czech Republic last Friday. Police said violence flared when stewards tried to detain a man they believed threw a firecracker.

Russia’s fine was also imposed for the thrown firework and because fans displayed nationalist flags.

That would be a crucial loss, those six points, as it would likely rule them out of Euro 2016 barring an astonishing showing otherwise, a key tournament for all that nonsense about experience before hosting the World Cup in 2018.

Where, yes, that banner will finally work. But not until then.