The Russian Premier League is to create a council of fan group leaders who will be able to influence the league’s decision-making, executive director Sergei Cheban said Tuesday.
Fan group leaders from various clubs attended a meeting with league staff Tuesday, following high-profile incidents of violence and racial abuse at football stadiums.
These include clashes at a league match between Zenit St. Petersburg and Anzhi earlier this month that left a supporter seriously hurt, and racist chanting at a Europa League game between Anzhi and AZ that was also attended by fans of various Moscow clubs.
“A council for working with fans will be created within the Premier League,” Cheban said, adding that it would contain supporters’ group leaders.
“The members of the council will be able to reflect what has happened on the stands in reports and inform us about it.”
Cheban also suggested that a fan representative could work with Russian police to handle supporters’ complaints.
“We will also talk about having a person within the Interior Ministry who would be able to take all the complaints,” he said.
“This will help us to get a better understanding of the roots of the problem and prevent some of the incidents in the stands.”
The new council will meet for the first time before Russia’s match against Northern Ireland on September 7, although no exact date was specified.
