Thursday 16 June 2016

Euro 2016 violence: England fans urged to 'behave responsibly'

French police in Lille


England football fans have been urged to behave responsibly ahead of their match with Wales at Euro 2016 later.
At least 36 people have been arrested following clashes in Lille on Wednesday - where riot police fired tear gas and charged at hundreds of England fans.
Martin Glenn, chief executive of the FA, said England fans should be aware of the "wider" situation in France, where police are facing terror threats.
Uefa this week threatened to disqualify England if there was any more violence.
In a statement, the tournament organiser said it "regrets the skirmishes" in Lille, but added the police had been "quick to restore order and keep the situation under control".

England play Wales in Lens at 14:00 BST.
However, thousands of English and Welsh supporters have been staying nearby in the larger city of Lille - where the latest disorder occurred.
Russian and Slovakian supporters have also been in Lille for their game at the city's Stade Pierre-Mauroy, which took place on Wednesday.
Some English and Russian supporters were detained after scuffles on Wednesday, when hundreds of England fans were surrounded by riot police in the city's main square.
Later on Wednesday, police fired tear gas to disperse England fans and charged at supporters.
Wednesday night's disorder followed clashes between mainly English, Russian and French fans in Marseilles at the weekend, which resulted in the Russian football team being given a suspended disqualification from the tournament.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Glenn said Uefa had focused on disorder blamed on Russian fans inside the stadium in Marseille when it issued the teams with the threat of disqualification.
He said the atmosphere between England supporters and French police in Lille on Wednesday had seemed "to change overnight".

'Real security threat'

He called on England fans to show "consideration and respect", pointing to the murder on Monday of two French police officials by a man claiming allegiance to so-called Islamic State (IS).
"The French are trying to deal with a real security threat," Mr Glenn said.
"Behave responsibly, come and enjoy the game, but just have a think about the wider position."
He said independent security experts had been in Lille and were due to report back to the FA later.

Police and England fansImage copyrightA

French authorities said those arrested on Wednesday included six Russians involved in the violence in Marseille.
Another five people were arrested for public drunkenness on a train that was stopped before it got to Lille and then allowed to continue.
Some England fans have accused French police of heavy-handedness.
However, Jonathan Calder, a supported in Lille, said he had experienced "over-zealous chanting, threats and drunken slurs".
"What I saw last night was sinister. I've never been so ashamed to class myself as English or British," he added.
A drinking ban remains in place in some parts of central Lille and the stadium. However, Mr Calder said he had seen "no evidence" it was working.
Shops selling alcohol in the city closed from 18:00 local time (17:00 BST) on Tuesday and will reopen at 06:00 (05:00 BST) on Friday.
BBC sports editor Dan Roan, who is with the England team, said their concern about disorder would have "intensified" overnight.
England were now "skating on thin ice" in terms of the team's participation in the tournament and the threat of disqualification will "inevitably" have an effect on the players, our correspondent added.

Injured man 'opens eyes'

Six England fans, aged 20 to 41, have received jail sentences ranging from one to three months in relation to disorder surrounding the England-Russia game, which finished 1-1 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, an England fan left seriously injured after being attacked by Russian supporters has opened both his eyes, his brother has said.
Andrew Bache, 51, from Portsmouth, suffered a cardiac arrest, extensive brain injuries and a lung infection after being attacked in Marseille.
Mr Bache opened his eyes when his son visited him in hospital, his brother Dean said in a message posted on a fundraising page.
He said Mr Bache was still unconscious but was showing signs of improvement every day.
French prosecutors say around 43 Russian supporters were detained detained following the violence in Marseille. Three will face trial later and 20 will be expelled from France, they say.

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