Standoff between two Russian football clubs goes too far

The match of the Cup of Russia between Dynamo and Torpedo football teams (both from Moscow) that nominally ended with 2-1, can lead to serious consequences for both the "black and whites" (Torpedo footballers, nicknamed so for the colors of their uniform), and the Russian football on the whole. The improper behavior of Torpedo fans, may earn a forfeit defeat for the club.

There are different versions to explain the events that happened last night at the Eduard Streltsov Stadium. Some believe that the cause was the conflict between the fans and the leadership of Torpedo. Others believe that the people released their negative emotions because of the unenviable position of the club in the Russian league.

The game between Dynamo and Torpedo started and ended with riots. The referee had to interrupt the game twice. For the third time, the game was stopped.

At first, the fans of the two clubs arranged a brawl at the entrance to the stadium. Like it was during the 1990s, the fans of Torpedo - about 50 men - attacked Dynamo fans near the ticket offices. Riot police had to use a lot of effort to stop the fight, Gazeta.Ru reports. Several hooligans were detained, but the majority of others simply fled in all directions.

Twenty people were arrested as a result of the conflict. Six others were detained later for disorderly conduct in the stands. All of them were later released afterwards, reports Interfax.

Torpedo fans started throwing firecrackers on the field in the middle of the first time. "The picture looked wild during the first minutes of the match. Torpedo fans started calling Dynamo fans names. The police were standing only several meters away, listening to the dirty chants. Hundreds of throats started trashing the police the best they could. The officers were just standing still," a correspondent of Sport Express newspaper wrote.

During the 29th minute of the game, the referee interrupted the match. The captains of both teams used the five-minute break to try to calm their fans down.

The game was interrupted at the 51^st minute too. The stadium was shrouded in smoke, firecrackers were flying to the field. "The match is over. Thank you!" - the loudspeaker then said.

The two clubs are very old rivals. The history of Torpedo and Dynamo standoff counts several decades. The conflict is not limited to only football per se. The fans of Dynamo and Torpedo can not coexist peacefully either.

During the last years, the tournament fates of the clubs were very different. Dynamo continued to serve the strongest league in the country with varying success (Dynamo has never left the league in 90 years of its history). Torpedo was not so lucky. The club that survived the time of financial instability, has come the way from amateur leagues to the first division. The team currently plays in the second strongest national championship. The teams could only meet in the match for the Cup of Russia.

The game was highly important for Torpedo. Dynamo was strongly determined to win the game too. Therefore, everyone was hostile and nervous before the game.

The Control and Disciplinary Committee of the Russian Football Union will have to make its own decision on the outcome of the match between Torpedo and Dynamo. However, under the current rules, it is now clear that there are only two options: either register the forfeit defeat for Torpedo (0:3), or play the game to the end from the 51st minute.

There may be far-reaching consequences for the Russian football in general. The need to adopt a special law to regulate the behavior of fans at stadiums, was first discussed in the beginning of the last decade, The Kommersant newspaper said. However, the Ministry for Sport and the Interior Ministry began to work on the law in April of this year. Still, the time, when the draft law is submitted to the State Duma, remains unknown.