Russia to expel football fans trying to illegally enter Europe

Moscow, July 16 (IANS) Foreign football fans who attempted to enter Europe through Russian territory with FIFA World Cup Fan IDs will be expelled from the country, Russian First Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandr Gorovoy said on Monday.

"Foreign citizens who stayed legally in Russia with Fan IDs but tried to cross the border with Western countries via (Russia's) Kaliningrad, Murmansk and Leningrad regions will be expelled. They have violated their purpose of stay and will be expelled from Russia," Gorovoy said, reports Sputnik news agency.

Gorovoy added that the majority of the individuals were citizens of Kenya, Morocco, and other African countries.

The Fan ID, a FIFA-issued identification card for all match ticket holders needed to enter World Cup stadiums, replaced usually strict Russian visas.

In late June, Finnish media reported that the country's authorities were looking at five asylum applications from people who arrived in Finland through Russia with Fan IDs.

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