There is now just 10 days to go until the EU referendum decides the fate of the UK with the polls neck and neck, but it is other battles in Europe that are stealing all the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Today, Russia were given a suspended disqualification from the FIFA European Championships following disgraceful scenes after England’s opening game in the tournament.

Despite facing expulsion from the competition and a 150euro fine, there is little contrition from the Russians. Even their striker, Artem  Dzyuba who plays for Zenit St. Petersburg, accused the British media of having the impression that England supporters are angels who just behave themselves. He added “you have to be objective, there is 50-50 in every conflict. I don’t see that Russia’s fans are the only ones at fault”.

Dzyuba has a point, there were some ugly scenes involving English fans before the game reminiscent of days gone by when so called English fans brought shame on us in the 70’s and 80’s.

 While it appears the incidents involving the English before the game were isolated the reputation of English football is once again being dragged through the mud. More worrying though, is the apparent pride some Russian commentators seem to have in the skills and viciousness of their fans. Violent clashes during Russian domestic games are fairly commonplace and footage of the riots regularly end up on social media sites. In fairness to the Russian football authorities, their Union have expressed regret about the behaviour of their fans, accepting that the suspended expulsion is right however other senior officials are quoted as calling the hooligans “real men”.

One Russian MP, Igor Lebedev said “I don’t see anything terrible about fans fighting, quite the opposite- the guys did well. Keep it up”. He also claimed that the lads had defended the honour of their country. A Russian fan from Moskow, said proudly “this shows who is most important among hooligans”. He went as far as to say that Russian thugs are younger, fitter and more sober than their English counterparts.

Andrei Malosalov, co-founder of the Russian fans union said “now many people are boxers or into martial arts, and Russian hooligans often follow a very healthy way of life, avoiding alcohol which used to be part of the subculture”. Astonishingly he told the BBC that the students have outgrown their masters.

It appears that the Russian’s involved see this mindless violence as a sport. It is not a sport. It is cowardice and stupid and there is no place for it in football stadia or in society. FIFA must adopt a zero tolerance approach, not only expelling Russia (and any other country )but coming down heavily on domestic clubs whose supporters riot. Forcing clubs to play behind closed doors would be a way to ensure safety of the players and would also hit the pockets of the clubs until the regulating bodies take the matter seriously.

It would be wrong to suggest that only Russia are responsible for the terrifying scenes this week, but with the 2018 World Cup being held in Russia it is particularly important that the behaviour is stamped out quickly. If FIFA wants to drag its own reputation out of the gutter following recent corruption charges, it must be much more transparent and responsible when deciding who hosts the tournament and should consider suitability of grounds, facilities, security and fans rather than simply taking account of who can fill the fattest brown envelope. With security in France supposedly being stepped up amid terrorist atrocities around the world, it is extremely alarming that Russian fans were able to take fireworks into the ground for the England game. It would be unwise to level all the criticism at French authorities though as they have limited resources and much of their time and attention was spent dealing with the hooligans. Would those proud violent men who think they defended the honour of their country be as proud if it meant that a bomb was able to pass through security or a machine gun toting maniac entered the packed ground? It is a football tournament for football fans. The fans around the world should be allowed to enjoy the spectacle in peace and safety. Anyone who doesn’t want to watch the football should stay home and anyone found guilty of violence at a match should be banned for life as well as face a spell in prison. We do not want to go back to the bad old days where real supporters are scared to take their kids to games.