Euro 2016: Republic of Ireland and Sweden fans believe it's no coincidence England are involved in fan hooliganism
English fans are accused of having 'a history of fighting with people' as Irish and Swedish supporters drink together in Paris without conflict
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Your support makes all the difference.Bar owners near Euro 2016’s landmark Stade de France stadium ignored the French government’s plea to ban alcohol, but good-humoured relations between Republic of Ireland and Sweden fans, whose sides meet later, meant that there was no repeat of the scenes witnessed in Marseille over the last few days.
Both Irish and Swedes were ordering rounds of beer a few hundred yards from the stadium in St Denis, Paris, and there was loud singing from the Swedish contingent, four hours before kick-off, but both sets of fans were in good humour and suggested that the involvement of a minority of English in the weekend’s violence in Marseilles was not a coincidence.
“It seems really disgraceful,” said Ronan Fox, an Irish fan who was among those drinking before heading to the stadium, of the conduct of some English. “Why would you do that? I thought you were past that.” Michael O’Docherty, one of the fans with him, said: “I didn’t think that happened any more. That was in the 1980s.”
“We follow the Premier League and you don’t see that at all,” said Kieran Duggan, another of the five.
English fans were certainly not provoking violence in Marseille and were on the receiving end of planned attacks from a gang of 3,000 organised, armed Russians. But there is clearly a feeling in the football community that a minority of England fans have a mentality in which the possibility of violence does feature.
“We get totally drunk and we never fight with any one,” said Mr Fox. “I think it’s more a mentality than drink. If there is one thing to take away from this tournament then it’s this: don’t fight the Russians."
A group of Swedes said that the England minority “have to fight with anyone”. Joakim Sather said: “They have a history of fighting with people. I think they drink a little bit much. They don’t need to drink so much. A lot of people drink too much – but not like the English.” Another Swede in his group, Kristoffer Carlsson, added: “It’s a party for a month. Why are they fighting?”
There were tens of thousands of fans from both nations out in Paris on Sunday night, with 20,000 gathered and intermingling at one spot, according to Mr Fox. The good humoured exchanges involved Abba references directed towards the Swedes, with the Scandinavian contingent responding with: “Go home, to your ugly wives.” The Irish retorted with: “You’re s**t, but your wives are fit.”
As the two sets of fans walked down to the stadium, one Swede wearing a Viking hat seemed to test the mutual respect by pointing at a group of Irish fans and employing the wife reference slightly aggressively. The Irish, one of whom carried a pack of six tins of lager, just grinned. “How dare he say that about my wife,” one of them said after they had walked past the Swedes.
Bar managers in the area said they had no idea that the French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve wanted alcohol to be banned and said there had been no problems with the supporters they received. One café owner, who did not want to be named, was allowing Swedes to use his toilets without using his establishment today, and several Swedes – speaking to him in English – offered to pay for their use.
Mr Cazeneuve said: "I have asked for all necessary measures to be taken to prohibit the sale, consumption and transport of alcoholic drinks in sensitive areas on match days and the day before, and on days when fan zones are open." The ban would include public areas, as well as shops and off-licences, Mr Cazeneuve added.
Senior local officials can also ban bars and cafés from serving drinks on their terraces in containers that can be used as missiles.
"The events which took place in Marseille ... are unacceptable. Unacceptable for the authorities, unacceptable for society, unacceptable for football lovers," Mr Cazeneuve said.
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