The football world hasn’t been a stranger to off the pitch shocks in recent times.
The controversies revolving around the 2014 World Cup stirred things up in Brazil, and now it is the Euros.
The second day (11 June) of the tournament saw sad scenes in Marseille as the Russian “hooligan” fans pre-emptively attacked the England fans.
The Russian fans wore mouth-guards for protection and England jerseys to take them by surprise. About 150 of them attacked the British with chairs from cafes, axes among other weapons.
One English fan lay on the ground as his head was repeatedly stomped on. Some English fans were also to blame, and five of them were jailed for their part in the violence.
Most England fans may not have been surprised with the result of the match, but what followed was not something that they did.
Most England fans were able to brace themselves up with it, with anticipation, but some were caught off guard. 35 were injured and 4 of them critically so.
UEFA slapped the Russian Football Association with a $170,000 fine, along with a suspended disqualification. England could face a similar fate. France has deported dozens of Russians, following the incident, and there have been several restrictions put in action around the stadiums.
On 15th June, despite alcohol sale being banned (excluding bars), a few drunken English fans started hurling glasses and bottles at the French police, to which the officials responded by releasing tear gas.
The FA has condemned any such activities and has promised to take actions. However, The Football Supporters Association (English and Welsh combined) said that the English fans did it in self-defense and did not deserve to be punished for it.
French police resources have been stretched from counter-terrorism teams to the safety during the Euro’s, and such an event could not have come at a worse time.
