Lavrov shares what Russia can learn from West

If there’s one thing Russia can learn from the West it is the example of how fans support their football teams, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Russia’s top diplomat is an avid supporter of Spartak Moscow and was speaking as the club celebrates its 100th anniversary.

“There are people – it’s difficult to call them patriots of their team – who say that they support good football. Everyone wants good football. What’s unusual in that? But a follower of a club is a different category, you could call it 'a fan', 'a supporter',” Lavrov told TV channel Rossiya 1, according to RIA. 

“I think that all these phratries (fan groups), these associations of fans are useful.

“[But] there are attempts by some extreme-minded people to divert these movements in the wrong direction, to organize confrontations instead of supporting football, who will beat whom: Spartak fans [will beat] Zenit fans, or Dynamo fans [will beat] Spartak or CSKA fans.

“It's bad for football. If there is something we need to take from the West, it is the culture of supporting our teams, the culture of behavior in stadiums,” added Lavrov.

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World Cup boosted ‘international people’s diplomacy’ – Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov

Some Western countries – most notably England – long had reputations for hooliganism, particularly in the 1980s.

Government measures have curbed the problem to some extent, although England fans continue to make headlines for acts of disorder, including the chaotic scenes ahead of the Euro 2020 final in London last summer.

Russian and English fans infamously clashed at the 2016 European Championship in France, fueling claims in the Western press that the 2018 World Cup in Russia could see similar threats of violence.

In the end, the tournament passed off peacefully and was widely praised as among the best ever editions of the World Cup.

This week, Lavrov was not the only Russian politician to comment on the centenary of Spartak Moscow, which is the country’s most successful ever team, boasting a record 22 Soviet/Russian top-tier titles.

President Vladimir Putin also congratulated the club in a special message on the Kremlin website on Monday, while Moscow’s Ostankino TV Tower was illuminated in Spartak’s famous red and white colors at the weekend.