MOSCOW — Russia’s chief prosecutor says law enforcement agencies have thwarted an alleged plot by right-wing soccer fans to derail events at the World Cup.
Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika’s report to the upper house of parliament says the suspected organizers — described only as "extremists" — envisaged engaging members of the radical soccer fan group T.O.Y.S. to disrupt World Cup events in the city of Samara on the Volga River.
Chaika’s report released by the Tass news agency on Tuesday didn’t elaborate on the actions the perpetrators planned to take.
The radical nationalist group was outlawed by a Russian court last year on charges of fomenting extremist sentiments. Known for its hard-line nationalist views and conflicts with other fan groups, T.O.Y.S. is a faction of fans of the second-tier club Krylya Sovetov Samara.
Local media reported last year that a leader of T.O.Y.S., Evgeny Gavrilov, was given a suspended prison sentence and banned from attending football games after being accused of propagandizing far-right ideology. Members of the group reportedly have also been accused of attacking migrants.
Samara is one of 11 host cities for the June 14-July 15 tournament and will host six games, including a quarterfinal.
Russia, Colombia, Senegal and Australia are among the teams due to play there in the group stage.
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