UEFA warns England and Russia could be expelled from Euro 2016
Police say 35 people were wounded in fights before encounter between the two sides in Marseille
- French prosecutors say 150 Russians were behind most of the violence
- 10 people facing charges and an immediate trial, including 6 British citizens
Euro 2016 organising body UEFA have warned the football associations of England and Russia that they could be thrown out of the competition hosted in France if there is further violence from their supporters.
The weekend clash in Marseille was marred by a serious of violent incidents involving both sets of fans, culminating in an attack by the Russians against those in the England section of the stadium at the end of the game, which finished 1-1 after a late Russian equaliser.
The Uefa executive committee would like to express its disgust for the violent clashes which occurred in the city of Marseille
The UEFA statement read:
“The Uefa executive committee has warned both football associations that – irrespective of any decisions taken by the independent disciplinary bodies relating to incidents inside the stadium – it will not hesitate to impose additional sanctions on the Football Association and the Russian Football Union, including the potential disqualification of their respective teams from the tournament, should such violence occur again.”
“The Uefa executive committee would like to express its disgust for the violent clashes which occurred in the city of Marseille,” they said. “Such unacceptable behaviour by so-called supporters of the national teams of England and Russia has no place in football, a sport we must protect and defend.”
WASTE OF RESOURCES
The French government has said that valuable time and resources are being spent policing troublesome groups of fans which should be concentrated on countering the terrorism threat posed during the tournament.
The French government has said that valuable time and resources are being spent policing troublesome groups of fans
“Their actions distract the police from their primary mission, which is to protect our country from the terrorist threat,” said French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, on Sunday.
According to French prosecutor Brice Robin, about 35 people were injured, including 4 who are said to be in a serious condition.
"These people were well prepared for ultra-rapid, ultra-violent action," said Robin during a press conference on Monday. "These are extremely well trained people."
Russian fans broke through weak security inside the Stade Velodrome at the end of the match and attacked terrified English supporters, who were forced to flee and jump barriers to safety. Earlier in the day there had been group violence on the streets of Marseille between the two sets of fans.