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Russian politician Igor Lebedev wants to make sport of hooligan fighting

A radical idea of turning football hooliganism into a sport has been proposed by Russian politician Igor Lebedev.

With less than 18 months to go until Russia hosts the World Cup, Lebedev has drafted rules for a "draka'' -- the Russian word for fight -- featuring 20 unarmed combatants on each side.

The MP for the Liberal Democrat Party, who gained notoriety last year when he seemed to encourage Russian hooligans at Euro 2016, further stated that the event could attract as many spectators as a football match.

On his party's website, he said: "Russia could become a pioneer in a new kind of sport.