UEFA said on Thursday that "it regretted the unrest on the streets of Lille overnight" on the eve of the Euro 2016 match between England and Wales, but it "stopped short of taking any action to punish fan violence," according to Pretot & Lagrange of REUTERS. French riot police charged and used tear gas to disperse "rowdy" English fans on Wednesday night. Police said that "about 50 people were hurt during Wednesday, 16 of whom were hospitalized." In a statement, UEFA said, "UEFA regrets the skirmishes which occurred in Lille last night. Police forces made several arrests and were quick to restore order and keep the situation under control." It "made no reference to any action it might take" (REUTERS, 6/16). REUTERS' Homewood & Shine reported UEFA was not planning an exec committee meeting "in the wake of overnight fan violence on the streets of Lille." UEFA's decision effectively means England is "not under any threat of disqualification" over its fans' behavior. Any decision to "expel England for crowd disturbances outside the stadium would need to be taken by the executive committee" (REUTERS, 6/16).
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UEFA Euro 2016 scores & schedule.
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THROWN OUT OF FRANCE: The BBC reported far-right leader of the Russian footballer supporters' association Alexander Shprygin "is being thrown out of France." Shprygin "is among 20 Russian fans being deported." Three other detained Russian fans "have been jailed for up to two years over the violence in Marseille." They are "also banned from re-entering France for two years." The men "received 12, 18 and 24 months in prison." Deputy Foreign Minister Arkady Dvorkovich was quoted by the Tass news agency saying that blacklists of troublemakers "would be drawn up before the 2018 World Cup, which Russia is hosting." He said that those accused of violence in France "may yet face trial in Russia." Dvorkovich: "We need to figure out who did what" (
BBC, 6/16).
FAN ZONE STABBING: EUROPE 1 reported on Wednesday, while 16,000 people watched the France-Albania match in a fan zone in Lyon, “clashes erupted between supporters” and two fans were stabbed. The incident was between Albanian, French and Belgian fans, “shortly before France won the match.” Two fans, one French and one Belgian, “were stabbed.” They were hospitalized and the injuries “are not life-threatening.” The aggressors “were not identified and no arrests were made.” A police official in Lyon said, “This was the first blow since the opening of the fan zone” (EUROPE 1, 6/16).
