World Cup.

For a change from all things BWFC. I wonder how many fans from Bolton, if any will be making the trip to Russia in 2016 to see the delights of another International football competition. I suspect not many.

Russia seems to me to be a very arrogant country under the control of a thuggish regime who were commonly believed under Putin, to have fixed the last election in Russia. Personally I wouldn't put anything past him and although I have friends in Moscow, I wouldn't under any circumstances take a trip there.

Don't get me wrong, I think as a country they have some amazing Cities and buildings and I have Russian friends who are great people, One being a lawyer on the same level as Queens Council and another a specialist doctor who specialises in skin complaints. I know them well and would say that they are kind and considerate and principled people. I only mention this to highlight the fact that not all Russians are not the same.

Unfortunately there does seem to be a real sense that there are a lot of Russians who are violent thugs who will attack anyone for no specific or good reason.

We have all seen graphic pictures of the events in France and by the way, it's not only the Russians but also the French who for whatever reason seem to think that it's good sport to goad and attack English fans. Now don't get me wrong, I know that we also have our hooligan element but it would seem that on this occasion, the attacks were largely unprovoked.

Now to get back to the point of the article. We have the World cup about to be staged in Russia in two years time and it's debatable how the games will be policed and what carnage may erupt during the tournament. If the statement from Igor Lebedev is anything to go by I wouldn't be confident of events going well. I must say that not all his country men agree with him and have roundly criticised their supporters.

That said you have to question if these Russian thugs are actually football fans at all or are just in France to cause trouble with the English fans.

Here is the article.

Euro 2016: Senior Russian football official tells violent fans: keep it up!

Supporters fight at the end of the Euro 2016 Group B match between England and Russia, at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on June 11, 2016 A senior Russian Football Union official and ultra-nationalist politician said Monday that the country's fans were right to fight England supporters at Euro 2016.

Igor Lebedev, who sits on the RFU executive committee and is also a deputy speaker in parliament, said on Twitter: "I don't see anything wrong with fans fighting."

"Quite the opposite, the guys did well. Keep it up!" said Lebedev, a member of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia headed by his father Vladimir Zhirinovsky. He said the violence was "not the fans' fault". Lebedev blamed French police's "inability to organise such events."

Lebedev also claimed in a separate interview with Life.ru tabloid website that Russians were provoked by England supporters and suggested Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko would have enjoyed joining in the clashes.

"I personally think that if Mutko was with the fans on the stands and not an official, he would also go and fight the English fans since they were the ones who started it," Lebedev said.

Mutko has said Russian hooligans are "disgracing the country" ahead of its 2018 hosting of the World Cup.

Lebedev's comments came as Russia faces the threat of disqualification from Euro 2016 and a British fan remained in a critical condition after fights in Marseille during and after the England-Russia match on Saturday.

The RFU on Sunday urged fans to behave properly to avoid UEFA sanctions against the national side. UEFA has said Russia and England could face disqualification if there is further fan violence.

Lebedev criticised officials and politicians for "branding our fans," however. "We need to defend them: they'll come home and then we'll work out what happened."

A Moscow city lawmaker, Maxim Motin, told Dozhd television on Sunday that he witnessed the stadium violence in Marseille and "Russian fans did not do anything criminal or outside the limits."

It now seems that the footballing authorities are threatening to ban England and Russia from the tournament. That would be fair enough if both sets of fans are found to be both guilty of starting and willfully beating other countries fans without being given the benefit of protecting themselves. Or are they just suppose to lie down whilst being beaten around the head with iron bars The question I would also ask is what will the authorities do about the French hooligans who attacked English fans for no apparent reason. Will France also be banned?

One English fan has been jailed for three months for throwing a plastic pint pot. Is that justice? Madam Guillotine will be making a surprise entrance soon