PRESS RELEASES AND NEWS

23.06.2017

Comment on incident with British fans in Kazan

Q: Can you comment on the incident with the British fans, who were found in possession of flares?

A: According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, a group of British nationals, who arrived in the Russian city of Kazan for 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup game between Chile and Germany teams, were found in possession of 61 flares. It is well known that possession of such pyrotechnic devices for use in sports venues is prohibited.

As the British nationals, who initially claimed to be members of an English media company, explained, these devices were meant to be used for filming a video on potential security loopholes in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by Russia.

Based on this, it is bewildering that British nationals, who are believed to have entered Russia with Fan IDs, could be involved in planned provocations with the use of those devices, which would menace safety of spectators at the stadium in Kazan during a major international sports event.

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