Tear gas, pepper spray and batons were used on English – and some Welsh – fans several times on a day when 16 people were taken to hospital.
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The French embassy in Moscow said on its website the ambassador replied that arrests had been carried out “absolutely according to the law, in full transparency vis-a-vis the Russian authorities”.
The two home nations will face each other at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in the nearby city of Lens at 2pm United Kingdom time.
Unlike in Marseille, where fans were able to drink for hours on end, they struggled to do so in Lille due to a blanket liquor ban imposed until Friday, closing bars and cafes and stopping shops and petrol stations selling alcohol.
The unrest happened as England and Wales fans were seen taunting Russian fans on Wednesday (15 June) as they returned from the Russia-Slovakia game at about 6pm, which Russia lost.
While the often-nationalist hardcore fans provide a reserve of support for adventurous foreign policy moves and a bulwark against domestic protests, they can also threaten public order at home and embarrass Russian Federation overseas as it seeks global prestige by hosting the 2018 World Cup.
Few Russians were involved, although one was wrestled to the floor by police for throwing a bottle.
Supporters of Slovakia and Russian Federation were also in the city after their game in the city on Wednesday. A small group of England fans in their late teens said that Russian fans had started the trouble by charging at a larger knot of around 200 England fans drinking outside the Le Prize pub, beside the main square.
The Russians left the scene and the remaining British fans were tear gassed, prompting them to hold their shirts over their mouths as they left the scene rubbing their eyes and spitting.
Collymore said: “Somebody threw a, not a grenade, something that went bang, towards some England fans and the England fans have just run”.
But he said the French police were “over zealous and heavy handed”.
French authorities will expel from the country a total of 20 Russian fans recently detained in a bus on the way to the northern French city of Lille, Russian Consul General in Marseille Sergey Molchanov said Wednesday.
Another five people were arrested for public drunkenness on a train from London that was stopped before it got to Lille and then allowed to continue.
On Wednesday, the French police released 11 fans.
At one point, chants at the French police officers turned to: “Where were you in Marseille?”
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French riot police guards the stadium entrance prior to the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match between Russian Federation and Slovakia at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d¿Ascq, near Lille, France, Wednesday, June 15, 2016.
