MOSCOW (AP) Russian fans say dozens – including a notorious fan leader – have been barred from going to Confederations Cup games after their identity documents were unexpectedly canceled.
Fans at the tournament require not only tickets but also a Russian government-issued ”fan ID,” in a measure designed to allow the state to filter out potential troublemakers.
A Moscow-based hotline providing legal support for fans says many Russians had IDs granted which were canceled hours before Russia’s opening game against New Zealand, making their tickets useless.
The Multilingual Fan Support Center says it has received ”tens of messages from fans about the annulment of previously issued fan IDs.