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Sergei Akulinin, head of the thematic department of the NTV-plus sporting channels
When the law on fans is discussed, people often ask: Why do we need a law on fans?
Why do bus drivers live without a law on bus drivers, barbers without a law on barbers?
What is the peculiarity, what is the problem with the current fans, with the relations with them, why do we have to establish a new legal field?
Why is everything that happened before not alright for us?
Why can't issues be solved through existing regulations, norms, instructions on holding events within the Administrative Code or the Criminal Code?
Is the decision on adoption of a law on fans reasonable? Why do we need this?
Yevgeny Lovchev, a world-class athlete
Such unions began to appear in the mid-1970s. I can say about my club, as far as I remember Spartaks fans united in 1976 and began to travel across the country.
When we saw in Minsk in the First League and in Chisinau before it a group of fans, it was very pleasant for us.
But they were people who grew up from the previous fan generation.
When we lost in one of the key matches in the first round of the First League and fell to fifth place, the guys marched from a hotel to the railway station in an orderly manner.
They came to us, but didn't shout or blame us, they tried to comfort us and said: We believe in you, guys! We stand by you!
There was no extremism. But later everything changed.
Anzor Kavazashvili, the head of the all-Russian Football Federation
Responsible people who have taken a heavy burden of heading the huge army of fans in Russia have to be in charge of them.
They have to be responsible for the behaviour of groups which misbehave on the streets and in stadiums.
A law is needed of course. Today we have a law which requires fines from 500 rubles to 35,000 rubles.
From 25,000 to 35,000 these are fines for organizations; while individuals can get 500, 1500, 2500, and so on. It is ridiculous, to be honest.
There are administrative punishments which require the arrest of law breakers up to 30, 60 days.
It is great. But in the UK, in Germany, when such instances first took place at stadiums, the rowdies were arrested at once;
their pictures were on databases all over the country;
they were not allowed anywhere for 2-3 years to a foreign country where their favourite team played, to stadiums.
It means that if they adopt a law, they fulfil it 100%.
There are many laws in Russia, but they don't work.
Alexei Tolkachev, the head of the department for security and fans' affairs of the Russian Football Union
Officially the law is called On Launching Amendments to Certain Laws of Russia for Providing Security and Public Peace at Sporting Events.
It begins its operation in January 2014. It has been approved already and begins its operation in late January.
It will finally be launched after the signing of two governmental acts.
The first is Providing Security at Official Sporting Events, which was developed by the Interior Ministry. The second is Rules for Spectators of Official Sporting Events, which was developed by the Ministry of Sport.
What does the Russian Football Union do in this sphere? A working group was founded under the chairmanship of Viktor Ozerov, who heads the Committee on Security and Defense in the Federation Council, he has a right to initiate drafts.
Representatives of the football community, all leagues, football clubs, representatives of the all-Russian Union of Fans, the Ministry of Sport and others were included into the working group.
In fact, the accumulation of all views and demands led to the law.
What is the law? First of all, the law requires not only liabilities for fans, but also rights.
The rules for spectators were developed by the Ministry of Sport on the basis of the RFU act on behavior of spectators.
It was improved by the Ministry of Sport.
Moreover, the law defines who spectators are and who stewards are.
Football clubs and sporting events organizations involve stewards for providing public peace.
It was defined who can be a steward and where they should be trained.
These are specially-trained people, according to the Ministry of Sport's standards.
Of course, they have their own rights and liabilities.
I should say that our football legal base has outlived its usefulness.
Few amendments are made to old acts.
That's why one of the articles of the law is an amendment to the Administrative Code: breaking of the Rules for Spectators (Part I and II), which leads to a break or a failure of a sporting event.
For example, somebody runs on a pitch, a referee whistles, a break happens in the event.
A serious punishment is required for this.
Responsibility for all typical violations of modern football will be defined there pyrotechnics, insulting slogans, obscene language, running on the pitch, blanketing smoke, and so on.
The responsibility requires a fine of 10-15 thousand rubles, an administrative arrest for 15 days, and an administrative ban on attending football events.