English fan vandalises statue of legendary Russian player in Moscow, Russian Ultras threaten revenge in Samara

[decapitated]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/england-fan-apologises-after-monument-12851377

 

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An England football fan has apologised after reportedly vandalising a monument to Spartak Moscow's greatest ever player.

The footy fan, identified as Rufus Hall, is thought to be the man arrested by Russia after the statue of former USSR midfielder Fyodor Cherenkov was daubed with ‘England’ in red letters before the match at the Spartak Stadium.

Photos appeared online of the defaced statue before the match. Other England fans are said to have tried to wash away the graffiti, which left a red smear on the bronze statue.

Rufus was arrested by police and there were fears Russian hooligans would try to get revenge for the vandalism.

Footage has now emerged online of Rufus apologising.

In the video the bearded Three Lions fan says: "I feel sorry, I feel embarrassed, I love this country.

"For the two days I've been here your people have been welcoming I've had a lovely time I would never disrespect your country.

"I respect the history and had I known this would offend people I would never have done it and I wholly apologise."

Hall was fined 3,000 roubles (£36) after pleading guilty in court and apologising to a judge for painting the Fyodor Cherenkov statue, according to Russian reports.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “Our staff have offered assistance to a British man who was stopped by police in Moscow last night.”

Cherenkov was a prolific scorer with FC Spartak Moscow, hitting the net 86 times in 344 appearances from 1977 to 1990.

The footballer, who died aged 55 in October 2014, won four titles with Russia's most successful club, and also played for the Soviet national team, with 43 caps.

He left Spartak Moscow in 1993 with a club record of 494 appearances.

The two-time USSR player of the year was suffering from a brain tumour when he died.

After his death, the statue was erected outside the stadium and a stand was named in his honour.

Spartak Moscow said at the time: "With his brilliant, cheerful, genuine and ethereal performances, Fedor Cherenkov had brought a lot of joy to millions of fans in the whole country.

"He had largely personified the very core of Spartak's football," the Moscow club announced on their website.

"A stand at the new Otkrytie Arena will be named after Cherenkov and a statue of the midfielder is also planned."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5918137/England-fan-issues-grovelling-apology-vandalising-monument-Spartak-Moscows-greatest-player.html

 

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Many users on Twitter threatened violence. One, responding to a photo shared of the alleged offender, wrote: 'Beat him. It's an order.' Another said darkly: 'We are waiting in Samara.' 

Here he is, what a idiot, but I hope this doesn't lead to it kicking off.

[georginho_juventusygr]

Those are expensive shirt and cap.

[Barry Cartman]

Just missing the sovereigns from Argos 

[Heartwork]

Bloody idiot. Just trying to start the hooliganism when everyone had been so well behaved to date.

[decapitated]

Just now, georginho_juventusygr said:

Those are expensive shirt and cap.

Probably bootlegs. In the UK, bootleg burberry gear is associated with low level criminals and football hooligans known as chavs. 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4381140.stm

 

from 2005

 

Quote

For a top luxury fashion company like Burberry it is the ultimate nightmare.

Their distinctive beige check, once associated with A-listers, has now become the uniform of a rather different social group: the so-called Chav.

With UK sales falling, Burberry cannot afford to become a laughing stock in their own backyard.

But just how does a top designer label shrug off a damaged image?

Only five years ago, Burberry was the darling of the fashion world after undergoing one of the most envied brand reinventions of recent years.

"It really tapped into a sense of the early years of the millennia," says Andrea Cockram of Verdict Research.

But all too quickly, the brand became a victim of its own success.

Label-conscious football hooligans started to adopt the distinctive check.

"It was associated with people who did bad stuff, who went wild on the terraces," says Peter York.

"Quite a lot of people thought that Burberry would be worn by the person who mugged them."

Burberry might have been appalled, but worse was to come.

The brand became something of a national joke when photos of former soap star Danniella Westbrook and her baby were splashed all over the papers.

Both were dressed from head to toe in Burberry check.

The issue refused to die down.

The Essex girl look was adopted all over the country, fed by a flood of counterfeit Burberry check at market stalls across Britain.

Britain discovered Chavs, and the association of Chavs with Burberry spawned a thousand tabloid jokes.

Last summer there was more bad news for Burberry, when pubs and clubs across the country began to ban customers who dressed in the label.

Burberry started to fight back.

They removed the checked baseball caps from sale and reduced the visibility of their distinctive pattern.

Three years ago it was on a fifth of all products. By 2004 it was on less that 5%.

Burberry is now cracking down on the fake goods that allow what they might consider to be the wrong sort of people to look like they are wearing the brand.

But even this has had unexpected consequences.

Welsh rap band, Goldie Lookin' Chain were given a Vauxhall Cavalier with a distinctive Burberry check paint job.

Nicknamed the "Chavalier", the car was being auctioned off on EBay until Burberry's lawyers got in touch demanding that the car be destroyed for infringing their copyright.

It was not only the car that was crushed, says band member Eggsy.

"I cried when they said you've got to destroy the car. What's next? Taking Rupert the Bear to court for having trousers that looked like Burberrys?"

There was more bad news earlier this year. Kate Moss, whose recent high-profile campaigns to promote the brand made her into the face of Burberry, is now facing tabloid allegations of drug-taking.

Burberry's Chief Executive Rose Marie Bravo is stepping down next year in favour of fellow American Angela Ahrendts, and the Chavs issue is likely to be near the top of her in-tray.

But there is reason for hope.

Most of Burberry's sales are overseas, so although sales in the UK have been sliding, international profits for last year reached over £160m.

Ms Ahrendts must be hoping that Chavs don't become a global phenomenon.

He's grown a beard since that photo was taken it seems.

[akura]

26 minutes ago, decapitated said:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/england-fan-apologises-after-monument-12851377

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5918137/England-fan-issues-grovelling-apology-vandalising-monument-Spartak-Moscows-greatest-player.html

 

Here he is, what a idiot, but I hope this doesn't lead to it kicking off.

Is he missing the end of one of his fingers? 

[decapitated]

 

 

[georginho_juventusygr]

23 minutes ago, decapitated said:

Probably bootlegs. In the UK, bootleg burberry gear is associated with low level criminals and football hooligans known as chavs. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4381140.stm

from 2005

He's grown a beard since that photo was taken it seems.

Ay, that is a shame. Like the article said, that Burberry trademark check is a darling outside the UK.

[Bigwig]

The bearded fan?

[elgreenio]

“I would never disrespect your country” - defaces statue.

the recent contradictive behaviour has spread from this forum all the way to Russia 

[PMLF]

They should just deliver him to those Russian ultras and let them handle him.

[Carmi88]

what a tool, couldn't care what happens to him.

 

If he is smart he would get out of Russia asap

[akura]

Typical england fan really, always causing trouble wherever they travel. Think they own the place. 

[Citizen Sandman]

Idiot

[skybluedave]

So is he coming home?

[James_W]

He must be dressed in the Burberry gear as a fancy dress, a 'chav' themed night or something, he doesn't sound like a chav at all and I don't think anyone would dress like that seriously. Maybe I'm generalising too much, but he should get out of Russia asap, stupid boy. The fine seems very lenient. Fair play to the England fans who tried to clean it off, even if it did leave a smear. 

[toon_84]

Isn't that the bloke who won the lottery and spent it all on banger racing?

[PaulHartman71]

Be bad enough if it was a statue of a legend who was still alive, but a statue for a legend who died of a brain swell at 55 is horrific. Imagine if a foreign fan spray painted “Russia” or “Germany” on a statue of Bobby Moore in West Ham or Bobby Robson in Newcastle. 

The Russians have been very well behaved (whether out of fear of Putin or whatever is irrespective), but wouldn’t be surprised if some kind of reprieve is signed off (maybe not at the tournament but next time Russian side plays an English side) as the face lost from this will be big. 

[PaulHartman71]

That being said, I'm sure a lot of us have had proper mad black-out drunk nights where you wake up and think: oh ****, I hope I didn't throw up on a war memorial or something. Still an incredibly dumb thing to do when you're in Moscow of all places. 

[Citizen Sandman]

1 hour ago, toon_84 said:

Isn't that the bloke who won the lottery and spent it all on banger racing?

No.

[martplfc1]

Looks like a chav but also looks about 17. He’s just a kid that probably got too drunk. If he did it sober though, then off with his head.

[Mawka]

Typical drunk english kid while abroad. They tend to disrespect other cultures sober. Just imagine while under the influence of alcohol or drugs...

saturday he'll go home with his national team.

[PaulHartman71]

Can definitely tell from the video he’s a middle class student who got smashed and thought it would be top bants. 

[Razzler]

He did something stupid, got nicked, apologised.

Looks like an utter tool as well.

How did burberry get associated with chavs, is it the fact it's seen as really 'English' cause their stuff kind of looks a bit rubbish outside of maybe a woman's handbag

[forameuss]

The desperation from the media in that article for something to happen is so thick you can almost taste it.

[Heartwork]

I don't think the Ultras will attack on Saturday. Putin wants to look good with this WC so will have paid off the heads of respective hooligan groups to behave themselves.

[Bliss Seeker]

I don't think the Ultras are going to start a war because of one drunken idiot going too far

Russia will definitely get some sort of retaliation though.  They're petty like that, but it won't be in your faces in front of cameras, or maybe not even in Russia.   Something that'll hurt a couple of English people would be seen as a enough revenge.  Like a quick ambush behind the old Vic in Leeds, or letting the air out of someone's tires in some UK village, or, I don't know, they like a bit of poisoning innit?

 

oh...

[Baptista_8]

Is the chap in the photo the same chap as in the video then?

[SteveUK]

Rufus..

[decapitated]

1 hour ago, Baptista_8 said:

Is the chap in the photo the same chap as in the video then?

Apparently so, though he's grown a beard since.

[decapitated]

10 hours ago, PaulHartman71 said:

Can definitely tell from the video he’s a middle class student who got smashed and thought it would be top bants. 

You are correct it turns out.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/05/son-former-royal-aide-forced-apologise-england-graffiti-moscow/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw

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The son of the Queen Mother’s former equerry was forced by Russian authorities to record a humiliating video apology for defacing a statue at the Moscow stadium before England’s win over Colombia.

Rufus Hall, 20, a business management student, was on his way back to Britain last night after being fined £35 by a Moscow court for scrawling ‘England’ in red face paint over the statue in honour of a dead Russian footballer. 

Hall appeared in a video apologising for the graffiti. 

“I love this country for the two days I've been here,” said Hall, standing in what appeared to be a stadium corridor, while still wearing his England shirt and with a flag tied around his head. “I would never disrespect the country. I respect the history and had I known this would offend people I would never have done it, and I wholly apologise.”

His father Niall Hall, a former captain in the Irish Guards who served as an equerry to the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, at Clarence House in the 1980s, said his son was mortified.

Mr Hall, 57, told The Telegraph: “He feels very stupid. He is extremely remorseful. He is feeling very sorry for himself and on his way home in accordance with his plans.

“Nobody has been physically hurt. It is all very unfortunate and he really does deeply regret it.”

The England fan had travelled to Moscow for the last 16 match with some friends and it is thought they had been drinking before the game. Hall, an ardent Arsenal fan who attended a £26,000 a year prep school in Northamptonshire, was in high spirits when he daubed ‘England’ using red face paint as he walked past the statue to Fyodor Cherenkov, who died in 2014 after playing 15 years for Spartak Moscow and the Soviet national team.

The face paint was wiped off, according to reports by other England fans, and left no traceable sign of damage.

But by then, the incident had already enraged Russian fans and media, with the story spreading on Twitter.

Stadium security had identified Hall using CCTV footage and grabbed him from the stands, Russian media reported.

“English fans have defiled the Cherenkov monument,” one Spartak supporter told The Telegraph. “All of our guys are really angry.”

“You can't stop Spartak fans,” he said when asked if they might retaliate against England supporters. “Not from the firms, just fans if they get the chance, yes. Everybody's very angry at the English. It's not a joke.”

The general director of Spartak stadium had called for the “hooligan” guilty of the “outrage” to be deported.

But member of parliament Igor Lebedev, who previously caused waves by praising the Russian hooligans who beat up English fans in Marseilles in 2016, called for mercy over the graffiti.

“You messed with us, but we will smile at you, we will wipe off the writing, restore the monument,” he said. “This will remain on your conscience, but we're happy you came here.”

Mr Hall said his son had not been arrested nor given a conviction.The court confirmed his son was not deported but had returned home as planned after one game.

The student ran the London marathon in April to raise money for a memorial fund in the name of Henry van Straubenzee, once of Prince Harry's closest friends who died in a car crash in 2002.

Niall Hall made the news in 2011 when he was beaten, stripped, tied up at knifepoint and robbed of his Land Rover Freelander and a medal he received for his services to the Queen Mother.

Another England supporter reportedly hit a Colombia fan in the tube after the match, which the Three Lions won on penalties. A Russian blogger's video showed the man scuffling with Colombians in a train car and being led away by police at a stop. Moscow police declined to comment on the incident.

said video is below.

 

[georginho_juventusygr]

So, a rich kid who grows up being able to do anything he wants?

Does he still support Arsenal now Wenger isn't in charge?