Russian ex-football boss gets decade behind bars for murder plot

The Odintsovo City Court in Moscow region sentenced former chairman of the board of Moscow football club Lokomotiv, Sergey Lipatov, 64, to 10 years in a maximum-security penal colony for incitement to murder.

The prosecution had requested a 12-year sentence, but the court partially accepted the defence’s position and reduced the term, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Lipatov’s lawyers had argued for dismissal due to the statute of limitations, but the court rejected this, citing the severity of the crime.

According to court documents, the crime dates back to 2002. Out of personal animosity and to resolve a business dispute, Lipatov paid $200,000 for the killing of the director of the law firm Inyurconsult, advisor to the Minister of Railways, Alexander Fominov. The hitman shot Fominov as he returned to his country home in the Agrarnik cooperative in Odintsovo district.

During the trial, Lipatov fully admitted his guilt and publicly apologised to the victim’s family. Experts noted that this acknowledgement likely served as a mitigating factor, preventing the imposition of the maximum sentence despite the prosecutor’s request.

After the verdict, Lipatov expressed his intention to go fight in Ukraine, stating he wishes to atone for his crime through military service. Court sources noted that his request will be considered separately, in accordance with legal procedures and his health condition.

By Jeyhun Aghazada