Russia World Cup: Two in five Russians say gay fans will be attacked

Earlier this year, the World Cup's anti-discrimination officer clearly stated that LGBT+ people should feel safe travelling to Russia to watch the action unfold.

However, a recently-conducted survey reveals that, of 2,500 Russian respondents scattered across the 11 host cities, almost 39 per cent expect openly gay fans to be met with violence this summer.

The report, which can be viewed in full here, comes in the wake of a series of worrying claims. This week, a volunteer security coordinator claimed that any same-sex displays of affection would be reported to police, despite the fact that no law prohibiting same-sex affection exists. The idea was considered last year, but ultimately scrapped.

Still, the country's notorious 'gay propaganda' laws have been well-documented, as have a series of threats recently levelled at LGBT+ activists, some of which threatened violence and police intervention.

Perhaps surprisingly, the statistics - collated by Bonus Code Bets for the purpose of general interest research - show that 24 per cent of respondents claimed actual hostility towards the LGBT+ community. 13 per cent claimed that they were actively "irritated" by the presence of gay fans in their country.

A company spokesperson commented:

It is concerning to see these results and they highlight what are genuine concerns for many football fans.

The study went on to break down differences in attitudes from city to city, revealing that Volograd - a city located in southwest Russia - is home to the most openly homophobic residents. In contrast, Kazan was shown to be the most LGBT-friendly of all the cities represented; statistics also pointed to the match between England and Panama as the 'safest' of the competition.

More: World Cup 2018: 'If two men are kissing each other we will tip off police', Russian security volunteer coordinator warns