ENGLAND football fans risk being attacked by Hitler worshipping football hooligans – and the Three Lions stars taunted on the pitch by racist thugs at Russia 2018.
Tens of thousands of fans from this country are likely to base themselves in St Petersburg close to Gareth Southgate’s World Cup HQ less than 20 miles away.
But the families of some black England stars could boycott the matches and stay at home over fears they could be targets for racist thugs.
The families of two players, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, were reported to have stayed away from Euro 2012 in Ukraine for fear of racist attacks.
And Moscow’s chief human rights ombudswoman said that nearly 100 cases of racism were recorded between 2014 and 2016 at stadiums across Moscow.
UEFA are investigating monkey chants directed at Liverpool academy player Bobby Adekanye by Spartak Moscow this season.
The ombudswoman, Tatyana Potyayeva, said that 21 of the recorded 99 acts of racism, discrimination and xenophobia constituted a ‘real attack’.
And the government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises: “People of Asian or Afro-Caribbean descent may attract some unwanted attention in public places and should take care, particularly when travelling late at night.”
And gangs who form the Zenit St Petersburg Ultras are feared across Europe and Russia for their meticulously-organised violence.
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Hooligan Valyaev – contacted via a Facebook page glorifying Russian football violence – told how thugs are bent on bringing mayhem to the World Cup.
He said: “This is not about football, this about patriotism. The Russian government wants to kiss the ass of the world and fall into line.
“We are not like that. We hate fans from other countries, cops, everyone. The English will come here and think they are hard men but we will send them back with blood on their faces.
“We showed the English in France that Russia is number one and this time there will be more of us – many more.”
Russian football has been marred by a string of violent clashes in recent years with fans from Moscow going on the rampage.
Nazi salutes are also regular sight at games and in 2013 CSKA Moscow was fined by UEFA for the racist abuse by their fans of Manchester City’s Yaya Toure.
The gangs are dominated by neo-Nazi’s despite Hitler’s brutal treatment of Russians during the Second World War that claimed the lives of 25 million soldiers and civilians.
Euro 2012 was marred by violence between Russian and Polish fans.
And Russian wants went on the rampage in Marseille both inside and outside of the stadium in Euro 2016 – attacking England fans and leaving several seriously injured.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Roberts, has said that there are concerns some England fans will continue to indulge in offensive nationalistic chanting which will be viewed by Russians as laying down ‘a challenge’.
ACC Roberts, head of the Football Policing Unit, said: “It’s indicative of an imperialistic mindset, saying, ‘We are here, on your ground’ and that can provoke a hostile reaction.”
He urged fans to consider that their chants may offend other nationalities.
Former England skipper Sol Campbell urged black and Asian fans not to travel to Euro 2012, saying: “Stay home, watch it on TV... don't even risk it."
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