RUSSIAN authorities are to deploy 6,000 riot police at the Luzhniki stadium for tonight's Champions League clash between Chelsea and Manchester United, with a large number of officers in plain clothes mingling with the crowds.
A further 1,000 armed officers will be around Moscow's Red Square as an estimated 40,000 fans flock to the Russian capital.
Amid fears of brawls and clashes, Russia will field about 20 per cent more security personnel for the game than it normall
y does at major football matches, interior ministry spokesman Valery Gribakin told reporters in Moscow.
Russia will be hoping to avoid any repeat of scenes at last week's Uefa Cup final in Manchester between Rangers and Russia's Zenit St Petersburg where a Zenit fan was stabbed.
Vitaly Mutko, Russia's sports minister, said: "Moscow police will do everything they can to ensure the game is held in a safe environment."
But he added: "In Manchester I saw what seemed like 100,000 (Rangers] fans, standing on all the central streets, running, drinking. Frankly speaking, I would not like to see this in Moscow in this way. I want it to be a celebration."
City authorities have devised a tight security plan for the day, with thousands of fans to be bussed directly from either Vnukovo or Domodevo airports to the stadium, where they will have little time to go into the city, and bussed back soon after the final whistle.
Around the stadium, fans will be directed to special zones, where they can eat and play football. There is a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol in and around the ground. By Russian law, nobody is permitted to drink in the street.
There are concerns that the Russian police, noted for their heavy-handed tactics in previous clashes, could respond with excessive force when faced with boisterous or drunk English fans before and after the game.
"There are cultural differences to consider. For a short amount of time, English fans will want to drink, be loud and sing about their clubs," said John Williams, a professor in sports sociology at Leicester University. "There is a danger that this will be perceived by the police as inappropriate or threatening and will require strong police action."
Yuri Abramov, commander of the Moscow mounted police unit known as Cobra, said that the police reaction to any threat would be "instantaneous", adding that every policeman would be out on the day of the match.
"The police have been briefed to be nice and welcoming," said Alexander Djordjadze, one of the officials in charge of preparations.
"They are professional, however, and know how to deal with situations that quite often occur at the stadiums."
Britain has sent 18 antihooliganism officers to assist the local authorities. "Spotters" have also been deployed in British airports to prevent potential trouble-makers from making the trip.
While Russia's riot police have long experience in dealing with fighting football fans, they have not always reacted effectively. During the 2002 World Cup, local fans rampaged in central Moscow after Russia lost 1-0 to Japan in Yokohama.
The riots, which left two dead and scores injured, saw mobs overturn cars and smash in windows of restaurants.
There have also been numerous clashes between local teams, some of them known for their intense rivalry, with clubs often comprising a wing of "ultra" fans.
The interior ministry has suggested installing dedicated police officers at the bigger clubs to keep a lid on the clashes.
BACKGROUND
IT IS possible that the minority of thugs who follow Moscow's football teams, such as CSKA and Spartak, will go after the Manchester United and Chelsea followers. The sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, is reported to have had talks with supporters' groups encouraging them not to attack the visiting fans.
But he also had a message for the English.
"We'd like you also to respect customs and respect the people who live in this city in this country," Mr Mutko said.
It's likely the vast majority of the English fans will concentrate on the game. But English football has a reputation it still can't shake off, no matter how hard it tries.
In the 1970s and 1980s, it became synonymous with thuggery. English football reached its lowest point in the 1985 European Cup final at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, when Liverpool fans chased Juventus followers at the crumbling old stadium. A wall collapsed, killing 39 people.
The full article contains 749 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
