The head of the violence-plagued Dagestan region on Friday appealed to the Russian people to fight nationalism and racism a day after Anzhi Makhachkala supporters were attacked by Moscow fans following a Europa League match marred by crowd trouble. "While most Russian fans cheered Anzhi's victory, others have tried to use the match to incite nationalistic hysteria and hatred between various ethnic groups in Russia," Dagestan leader Magomedsalam Magomedov said in a statement.
Magomedov said it was not the first time Anzhi fans had been victims of nationalistic violence. Earlier on Friday, Anzhi thanked Moscow police for keeping order and protecting their fans at the Lokomotiv Stadium during Thursday's first-leg tie against Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.
"We would like to say special thanks to the Lokomotiv Football Club for providing their home arena for our match," Anzhi said on their website (www.fc-anji.ru). "We also want to thank the Moscow police for providing a high level of security during the match." Thursday's match, won by Anzhi 1-0, was attended by several hundred Moscow fans, who racially abused Anzhi players and threw objects on to the pitch. The fans said they were protesting against the club from the volatile North Caucasus region playing their games in Moscow. After the match about 100 soccer hooligans attacked Anzhi fans in the Moscow metro, injuring several people.
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