By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 13 – England and Russia have both been threatened with being kicked out of Euro 2016 is there any repetition of the brutal alcohol-fuelled violence that sadly overshadowed the start a competition organisers so much hope will spread a message of togetherness and unity six months after the horror of terrorism.
Expressing its “utter disgust” over three days of disorder in Marseille, UEFA told the English and Russian federations “to appeal to their supporters to behave in a responsible and respectful manner”.
Amid conflicting reports over who started the mayhem, French prosecutors say a group of 150 Russians were mainly responsible for the ugly clashes inside the Stade Velodrome following the 1-1 draw between the sides. Masked Russian fans were seen charging at England supporters, some of whom had to scramble over barriers to escape. But English fans appeared to be at the heart of the earlier disorder in Marseille’s Old Port district in the buildup to the highly charged fixture.
UEFA said its executive committee had “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 English FA responded by saying it treats the UEFA warning with the “utmost seriousness”.
“We understand the potential implications of our supporters’ actions and wholly accept that every effort needs to be made by the FA to positively urge them to act in a responsible and respectful way,” the FA said.
UEFA’s robust warning will almost certainly lead to improved segregation at all 10 stadiums.
“UEFA acknowledges that there were segregation issues at Stade Velodrome and will implement corrective measures to strengthen the deployment of security personnel at stadiums, in close collaboration with local authorities,” a statement said.
Russia has already been charged by UEFA over crowd disturbances, racist behaviour by fans and the setting off of fireworks at the game. A decision is expected on Tuesday and likely sanctions imposed ahead of Russia’s second game against Slovakia 24 hours later in Lille, a massive embarrassment for the 2018 World Cup hosts.
Although UEFA holds national federations responsible for their fans’ behaviour inside stadiums, it typically does not act on incidents outside grounds. Which does not augur well either for England’s crucial derby against Wales in Lens on Thursday. The fact that Lens and Lille are only 40 kilometres apart will also not be lost on the authorities.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called the fans’ behaviour barbaric and said it was “absolutely necessary that national federations whose supporters create incidents of this nature be penalized”. He said alcohol restrictions near “sensitive” venues would be extended.
It is the second time in as many European Championship tournaments that the Russian federation has faced sanctions because of its fans. Russia was fined and given a suspended six-point deduction because the conduct of fans at the 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Whether that suspension will now be enforced remains to be seen.
The tournament is already being played under a state of emergency following the deadly terrorism outbreak in November that killed 130 people. France has enlisted more than 90,000 police, soldiers and private security agents nationwide to ensure safety in the face of warnings of further potential attacks. But hooliganism, reminiscent of its darkest days, has so far proved a far bigger problem and further questions will doubtless be raised after a smoke bomb was let off at the Parc des Princes in Paris during Turkey’s match against Croatia on Sunday.
In Marseille, some English fans suggested French riot police had been heavy-handed. Thirty-five people were hurt in the fighting in the stadium, including one English fan who suffered a heart attack. Many English fans told stories of how they had to scramble desperately to safety but some French newspapers questioned their English counterparts’ version of events, suggesting the provocative behaviour of English fans in the buildup to the fixture, and the part that alcohol played, were underplayed by the English media. “Shame”, trumpeted the front page of l’Equipe on Sunday.
While UEFA have rightly been criticised for failing to impose adequate segregation and stewarding, the over-riding feeling is one of desperate disappointment that in this day and age, so-called fans from certain countries have once again resorted to using a major competition as a tool to express feelings of aggression while other equally passionate supporters are mixing in a spirit of cordial banter.
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