A Russian politician has proposed an unorthodox solution to the country’s problems with football hooliganism before hosting the World Cup next year – legalise it and make it a spectator sport.

Organised groups of Russian fans fought English supporters on the streets of Marseille during the European Championship last year.

That inspired Igor Lebedev, who sits in the Russian parliament, to draw up rules for what he calls “draka” – the Russian word for fight – with 20 unarmed fighters on each side in an arena. In a statement on the website of the nationalist LDPR party, Lebedev said organised brawls “could turn fans’ aggression in a peaceful direction”. He also claimed it would serve as an “example” for English fans, who he characterised as undisciplined louts and poor fighters.

“Russia would be a pioneer in a new sport,” said Lebedev, who also suggested fights between different fan groups could draw crowds of thousands. “English fans arrive, for example, and start picking fights. And they get the answer – challenge accepted. A meeting in a stadium at a set time.”