Euro 2016: Just 5% of the 557 fans arrested at European Championship are English
Violent clashes in Marseille and Lille overshadowed the first week of the tournament
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Your support makes all the difference.French authorities have confirmed that 557 “violent supporters” have been arrested during Euro 2016, but just five per cent of that figure are English.
The European Championship has been blighted by violent clashes between rival fans and French police, with the worst clashes coming in Marseille before and after the Group B clash with Russia. A number of England fans were arrested after the Marseille incidents, though British authorities have confirmed that 30 England fans have been detained since the start of the tournament.
Six England fans were arrested in Marseille, where a large gang of over 300 Russians attacked a group of England supporters before kick-off. The worrying incident culminated three days of violence in the southern French city that saw fans clash with French police.
Authorities also confirmed that seven Northern Irish fans have been arrested, with five Welsh supporters detained. Police were forced to use tear gas to try and control large groups of fans, although the use of British police ‘spotters’ helped ensure that water cannon was not needed.
The trouble caused in Marseille led to England and Russia receiving warnings from Uefa that they face Euro 2016 disqualification if there is any more violence inside the stadiums at Euro 2016, although the European governing body have no jurisdiction on the clashes in the city streets.
There were fears that similar scenes could be witnessed at Wales’s final group game against Russia on Monday night, although the fixture passed by without any major clashes of note.
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