A court in Cologne has sentenced four Russian football hooligans who attacked Spanish tourists in the German city, the Deutsche Welle news agency reported Friday.
One defendant received a suspended sentence of 12 months, while three others received 10-month suspended sentences. The fifth Russian implicated in the case claimed he witnessed the fight but did not take part. He will be sentenced separately on Aug. 17, Deutsche Welle reported.
In mid-June, five Russians were involved in an attack on three Spanish tourists, including one woman, who were handing out anti-fascist stickers near Cologne’s main train station. Two of the Spanish tourists were badly injured, with one suffering a broken nose.
Police later learned that the five Russians had attended matches at the European Football Championships in France and had been in Marseille, where violence broke out before and during the match between Russia and England on June 11.
According to the prosecutor, the attack was politically motivated, more closely linked to right-wing radicalization than football.
“I hope the [the defendants] return to Russia soon,” the judge said, Deutsche Welle reported.
