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Twenty Russian fans deported from France over accusations of hooliganism

The fans had been accused by Marseille prefect Stephane Bouillon of “participation in skirmishes linked to the England-Russia game”.

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“We are still looking for those responsible for these events which are considered attempted murder”, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said.

A group of several hundred English fans drinking in local bars had been getting progressively rowdier and noisier, singing songs taunting Russian Federation, when a loud explosion was heard and some bottles were thrown.

In Moscow, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned French ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert on Wednesday.

Sporadic violence has since moved to northern France, where Russian Federation played Slovakia on Wednesday and England played Wales yesterday.

Six England supporters were also jailed on June 13 in relation to the violence, Britain’s Sky News reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called the football hooligan violence at Euro 2016 a “disgrace” but questioned how Russian fans could have overpowered a far larger contingent of English supporters.

European football’s governing body Uefa said yesterday that it was planning no executive committee meeting in the wake of overnight fan violence on the streets of Lille.

The group are being expelled from France after violent clashes with England fans before last weekend’s Euro 2016 game between Russian Federation and England in Marseille.

Local authorities said police made 37 arrests in Lille and detained 15 people in custody.

Lebedev sent a series of tweets in which he also offered support to other Russian fans, saying: “I don’t see anything wrong with the fans fighting…quite the opposite, well done lads, keep it up!”

“Two of the Russians were arrested yesterday evening during a fight in Lille and two after being found drunk in a vehicle with weapons”, a spokesperson at the Lille prefecture said.

“The French government remained determined, together with UEFA, to stop troublemakers from ruining the party that is the Euro”.

Violence between rival supporters has marred this summer’s competition and Russian Federation have been handed a suspended disqualification from Euro 2016 by UEFA for those crowd disturbances in Marseille.

Police across France are trying to suppress hooliganism at a time when the country is under a state of emergency following the attacks that killed 130 people last November.

England fans have not in any way been held blameless, however.

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Fans attacked stewards who had refused to let two groups of fans separated by a security barrier into the same section, witnesses said. Police did not find the weapon used by the attacker. Only nine people were detained by police overnight, she said, all in connection with minor incidents of drunkenness.

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