As Liverpool and ManU supporters converge on Moscow, "Russian authorities have warned that they could face imprisonment if there is crowd trouble at this week’s Champions League matches," according to Oliver Kay of the LONDON TIMES. About 800 Liverpool supporters traveled to Russia for the team's match against Spartak Moscow on Tuesday, while 1,000 ManU fans "are expected to attend their encounter with CSKA Moscow" on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin approved new legislation in April that "introduced tougher punishments, including for foreign nationals, for crowd trouble at sports events." Russian Football Union Security Committee Head Vladimir Markin said, "I don't want to scare anyone, but I warn those who plan to come here not to support their side and see the country but to commit hooliganism: the law is the same for all, not just for Russians. Those who break it will face a suitable punishment, possibly in the form of a long stay in Russia, in conditions our guests will not like." There was "no reference to such concerns in the literature sent to supporters of the clubs by the British Embassy in Moscow," which mentioned pickpockets, illegal taxi drivers and "the dangers of drugs and of drink-spiking" (LONDON TIMES, 9/26).
