Euro 2016: England and Russia threatened with Uefa disqualification after fan violence in Marseille
Russian fans appeared to charge at their English opponents after their 1-1 draw at the Stade Velodrome
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Your support makes all the difference.Uefa have threatened both England and Russia with disqualification from Euro 2016 following the violence in the stands at the Stade Velodrome after fans clashed following the 1-1 draw in Marseille.
Russian fans were seen to charge at their English counterparts, leading to supporters attempting to flee to safety as they were punched and kicked. The incident followed three days of violent clashes in the city of Marseille, where England and Russia fans had clashed with each other as well as with French locals.
After launching an investigation into the violence seen at the stadium on Saturday night, Uefa have confirmed that similar scenes during the tournament could result in either England or Russia being expelled from the remainder of Euro 2016.
A Uefa statement released on Sunday afternoon read: The UEFA Executive Committee would like to express its disgust for the violent clashes which occurred in the city of Marseille.
“Such unacceptable behaviour by so-called supporters of the national teams of England and Russia has no place in football, a sport we must protect and defend.
“The Uefa Executive Committee has warned both football associations that – irrespective of any decisions taken by the independent disciplinary bodies relating to incidents inside the stadium – it will not hesitate to impose additional sanctions on the Football Association [FA] and the Russian Football Union [RFU], including the potential disqualification of their respective teams from the tournament, should such violence occur again.
“We urge both the FA and the RFU to appeal to their supporters to behave in a responsible and respectful manner.”
Tournament organisers Uefa also praised the work carried out so far by French authorities/ Police have been required to deploy tear gas on three consecutive days in an effort to disperse large groups of supporters and gangs, with clashes marring the start to the European Championship in France.
The statement added: “We would also like to publicly voice our support for the work of the French Authorities and security forces for their efforts to deliver a safe and secure tournament in challenging circumstances.”
Clashes on Saturday left 19 British people in hospital, for of whom were described in a critical condition.
Uefa are also investigating the RFU for “crowd disturbances, setting off of fireworks and throwing of missiles”.
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