Moscow (EFE)
As an example, only 207 fans attended the match played last Saturday on the outskirts of Moscow between the historic Torpedo and Ural (0-1).
That was the second lowest capacity in the history of the Russian league since its inception in 1992.
The Ministry of Sports and the federation argue that the Fan ID will make it possible to turn soccer into a family pastime, as in other countries such as Spain or Italy, while reducing the presence of radicals and violence in the fields.
The official argument has not convinced the fans, who distrust any method of control by the security forces and will maintain their boycott until the withdrawal of what is also known as the fan passport.
Empty stadiums in Russia
Fan associations had already boycotted Fan ID before the winter break, considering that it treated them like criminals, but its incidence has become noticeable precisely now, when this method has been applied to the sixteen clubs in the division of honor.
In the case of Spartak Moscow, the club with the most fans in Russia, the number of fans in the last two games has fallen almost three times compared to autumn.
The Otkritie Arena World Cup stadium, with capacity for more than 45,000 spectators, was attended by 5,002 fans of the Moscow team over the weekend.
“Five thousand people in Spartak? I don’t remember when there were that many fans at Spartak. It’s Spartak! We played for the fans, but they’re not here,” said Spartak striker Alexandr Sóbolev after a match.
When an official argued that the reason is the low temperatures and not the Fan ID, Sobolev replied: “Even in this weather before there would be a minimum of 20,000 people.”
In the case of CSKA, only 2,680 fans watched as the Russian Army team smashed Krilya Sovetov (4-0), the lowest entry since 2011.
Dynamo drew fewer than 5,000 fans, compared to the usual 16,000-plus for the “Black Spider” team, Lev Yashin.
The Zenit, nor with a retractable roof
The retractable roof of the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg (68,000 seats), which protects attendees from the bitter winter cold, has not prevented the presence of fans of the leader of the Russian league, Zenit, from falling by 48%.
An average of 17,835 people attended the two victories of his team with four goals from the Brazilian Malcom, a former Barcelona player, since the beginning of March.
In an attempt to increase crowd presence, the club from the former imperial capital even handed out free tickets to fans.
In addition, it reduced to ten the minutes required to request and receive the Fan ID in the stadium itself, but it only attracted a thousand followers.
Krasnodar brought together 11,000 fewer fans than usual at their home, while 1,664 people attended the Olympic stadium in Sochi (Black Sea).
Even Grozny’s Akhmat, the only club whose fans did not boycott Fan ID, attendance is down 22% compared to last year.
Karpin and the press, against
Russia coach Valeri Karpin, also a Rostov coach, said he had already warned that the introduction of Fan ID would cause problems.
The sports press has also clearly taken sides. Not a few journalists have described the appearance of the stadiums as shameful just when Russian football has been excluded from international competitions due to the military intervention in Ukraine.
“I don’t know of a single journalist who is in favor of Fan ID,” a reporter told Efe.
Another well-known columnist admitted that his director had prohibited him from commenting on the matter, which demonstrates the importance that the Government attaches to this matter.
For now, the Kremlin says that the withdrawal of Fan ID “is not on the agenda.”
A demonstration that the Fan ID is the cause of the stadiums without a soul is that this method is not applied to the Russian Cup matches, where the influx is greater, despite being played during the week.
Krasnodar fans almost filled the stadium in the cup with more than 26,000 fans, for a meager 8,000 in the league; the same as Rostov, with 6,300 in the league and 21,000 in the cup.