Russians trained to fight were involved in the worst of the fan violence that erupted in Marseille at the start of the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, the French city’s chief prosecutor revealed Today.
A middle-aged Englishman remained critically ill in hospital after he was assaulted, one of 35 people injured during three days of fighting involving Russian, English and French fans in Marseille’s Vieux Port (Old Port).
European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, has said it is “disgusted” by the melees inside and outside the stadium in Marseille and has threatened to expel the Russian and English teams from the championship if the violence persists.
“There were 150 Russian supporters who in reality were hooligans,” Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin told a news conference. “These people were well prepared for ultra-rapid, ultra-violent action.”
Scenes of rival fans wielding metal bars and hurling beer bottles in street clashes in Marseille, as well as incidents in Nice, Lille and Paris, underscore the challenge soccer federations in Europe face in stamping out hooliganism.
Further along the Mediterranean coast from Marseille, Nice’s prosecutor said violence there involving Northern Irish fans on Saturday night was instigated by remnants of the now-disbanded French fan group known as the Nice Brigade that had ties with far-right circles.
England fans have said they were ambushed by squads of Russian assailants in at least one incident, though the Marseille prosecutor made clear that England supporters were responsible for some of the skirmishes in Marseille.
Robin said trials would be held later on Monday for 10 people now in police custody – six Britons, three French nationals and an Austrian. All were charged with violence involving a weapon.
Asked why no Russians faced a court hearing, he said they had carried out lightning strikes which made arrests difficult and that closed-circuit television footage was still being studied. “These are highly trained people,” Robin said.
