Euro 2016: England face sleepless night ahead of Russia match as Uefa book hotel next to fan zone
Roy Hodgson’s players are due to make the one hour and 20 minute flight to Marseille on Friday
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Your support makes all the difference.England’s Euro 2016 squad face the disruption of a sleepless night in Marseille ahead of Saturday’s Group B opener against Russia after being booked into a hotel next to the city’s official fanzone by the tournament organisers.
Roy Hodgson’s players are due to make the one hour and 20 minute flight from Paris to Marseille on Friday in order to begin preparations for the clash with Leonid Slutsky’s team in the Stade Velodrome.
But Hodgson and his team will be forced to overcome the unwanted distraction of being placed next to Marseille’s 80,000-capacity fanzone by Uefa’s organising committee, who are responsible for providing the accommodation for teams in venue cities on the day before a game.
England have been assigned the Golden Tulip Villa Massalia hotel by Uefa, with the Russians billeted in the Marseille Palm Beach Hotel.
Having spent the past four nights in the luxury £500-a-night Auberge du Jeu de Paume Hotel in the team’s tournament base in Chantilly, the location of the Golden Tulip in Marseille could see Hodgson’s players kept awake by noisy crowds watching France kick off the tournament against Romania at Stade de France.
And although the Fanzone is due to close at midnight, local authorities can extend the opening hours in the event of a special occasion – including games played by the host nation.
While the Football Association has been able to secure a tournament base in Chantilly, it is powerless to influence the selection of hotels in venue cities.
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