By David Gold
May 10 – Violence marred the end of the Russian Cup final between Rubin Kazan and Dynamo Moscow, after hundreds of fans ran onto the pitch at the end of the game.
The match was held at the Tsentralny Stadion in Yekaterinburg, on the border between Asia and Europe, which is set to host games during the Russia 2018 World Cup.
Footage of the fans streaming onto the pitch was broadcast live on television, and marred what was Rubin’s first ever Russian Cup victory after a late goal from Roman Eremenko gave them a 1-0 win, earning them qualification into the UEFA Europa League.
The incident may raise questions about the police as the country prepares to stage the World Cup in six years’ time, though they did calm the situation without resorting to using force, according to Russian media.
There were also reports of a scuffle in the tunnel afterwards between Luke Wilkshire, Dynamo’s Australian midfielder, and two Rubin players.
Wilkshire (pictured above, right) was accused of throttling Eremenko, and afterwards was condemned by Rubin spokesman Maxim Lopukhov, who accused him of being “one of the roughest” players in Russia.
The Australian, who has received 15 yellow cards this season, apologised in a statement on the Dynamo website though, saying: “In the area under the stands, a small incident happened, which I regret.
“It’s a personal conflict between me and Roman Eremenko, the reasons for which the Rubin midfielder knows well.
“I offer my sincere apologies to Roman Eremenko and to all representatives of the Rubin football club.”
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