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Russian authorities are hoping to stamp out hooliganism at this summer's Confederations Cup and next year's World Cup finals by introducing identity cards for supporters attending matches at the tournaments. Russian supporters were at the centre of much of the trouble during Euro 2016 in France and a BBC documentary raised concerns about further co-ordinated violence at the World Cup. The Russian FA was fined €150,000 and the team handed a suspended disqualification from Euro 2016 over crowd disturbances around the game against England in Marseille. The identity cards, which will display the holder's photograph and contact details, will act as a fan's visa for entry into the country as well as into the stadiums. "Every fan will be required to have a fan ID to enter the stadiums, both for the Confederations Cup and for FIFA World Cup, and so we have got trust in the authorities that everything will be done," Colin Smith, director of competitions for FIFA, told reporters during a tour of Otkrytiye Arena, home stadium of Spartak Moscow, on Thursday. "What we can be sure of is that this will be a festival of football and there is no place in such festivals of football for those that are not here to support the sport or support the game." The Confederations Cup, the traditional warmup event held 12 months before the World Cup, kicks off on June 17 in four of the 11 hosts cities, with the World Cup's opening game on June 14 next year. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said last month that he is "not at all concerned" about the prospect of hooliganism problems in Russia.
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