Police Confirm Raid on Russian Soccer Fan Association

MOSCOW, December 21 (RIA Novosti) – Police in the Moscow Region confirmed on Friday that they were conducting a number of searches targeting the Russian Soccer Fan Association, known by its Russian acronym VOB.

Alexander Shprygin, who has headed VOB since 2007, earlier told R-Sport the association’s offices, his apartment, and those of his parents and girlfriend were being searched on Friday in connection with a criminal probe into an October paintball attack on Dynamo Moscow players.

Police seized laptops and hard drives that could contain information related to the ongoing investigation, a law enforcement source said, adding it was too early yet to comment on the results of the probe.

Several players including midfielder Alan Gatagov were hit when a gang of camouflaged assailants opened fire from behind a fence at the club’s training base just outside Moscow in Novogorsk.

The club blasted the incident and said it would do everything in its powers to prosecute those responsible. The official Dynamo fan club has distanced itself from the attack.

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