Soccer rivalry and fan violence spilled into global politics as Moscow summoned the French ambassador over detentions of Russians at Euro 2016 and warned an "anti-Russian" mood could even damage relations between Russia and France.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused other countries’ football fans of “absolutely provocative actions” at the tournament, such as trampling on the Russian flag.
Police in the northern French city of Lille said they dispersed a group of England fans behaving in a “threatening” manner on Wednesday. British television reports said tear gas was fired in the city centre. Authorities had flooded the city with police ahead of the next matches for Russia and England in the soccer tournament.
Four Russian fans were arrested in Lille and were to be deported after being detained before Wednesday’s game between Russia and Slovakia, which the Russians lost 2-1. “Two of the Russians were arrested yesterday evening during a fight in Lille and two after being found drunk in a car with weapons,” a spokesperson at the Lille prefecture said. The weapons were wooden sticks, a police source said.
“Today, the measure is very simple: flood the public space with police so that there is no room for any form of hooliganism,” Sports Minister Patrick Kanner said.
In Moscow, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned French ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert on Wednesday. The French envoy was notified about “discrimination” towards Russian citizens, it said, adding that “further fanning of anti-Russian sentiments” could damage relations between France and Russia. A spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry confirmed the envoy had been summoned but made no further comment.
Both Russia and England have been threatened with expulsion from the competition after hundreds of fans clashed for three days in Marseille on the weekend, drawing volleys of tear gas from riot police. President Vladimir Putin and security officials have discussed what lessons Russia can learn from the Euro 2016 for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the RIA news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying.
“We cannot close our eyes to the absolutely provocative actions by supporters from other countries,” Lavrov told parliament. “You have probably seen the outrageous images on TV when the Russian flag is getting stamped on and when insults are being screamed about the Russian (political) leadership and about leading Russian sports people.”
France is desperate to avoid a repeat of the violence that marred the England-Russia match in Marseille on Saturday. Dozens of Russian and English fans were arrested. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said he did “not have any certainty that disorder involving Russian fans will not be repeated,” and blamed England fans for provoking the trouble.
Mutko called Uefa’s decision to fine his side and give it an official warning over violence inside the stadium in Marseille “excessive”. The tension has now moved north to Lille. Although Russia and England will not meet again in the group stage, they were to play their next matches just a few miles apart. England and Wales clash in nearby Lens on Thursday.
Unlike in Marseille, where fans were able to drink for hours on end, they struggled to do so in Lille due to a blanket alcohol l ban imposed until Friday, closing bars and cafes and stopping shops and petrol stations selling alcohol.
“It’s a party, and our job is to make a good party. But if you have violence, we are ready to fight against this violence,” local police chief Olivier Dimpre told Reuters outside Flandres train station, where about a dozen riot police vans were parked.
