Though Euro 2016 has produced some thoroughly entertaining football so far, the headlines continue to be dominated by the violence between supporters of Russia and England. Both football associations have been threatened with expulsion from the tournament by organizers UEFA, though Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, quoted by ESPNFC, has laid much of the blame with 150 “extremely well trained” Russian hooligans:
Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin has said 150 specially-trained Russian hooligans were behind much of the violence that broke out in the city ahead of the England vs. Russia game on Saturday. […]
“These people were well prepared for ultra-rapid, ultra-violent action,” he said. “These are extremely well trained people.” […]
Robin said “almost all” of the injured were British, but added that England supporters had also been responsible for violence.
Let’s hope we’ve seen the last of the violence between supporters, and that the authorities are a little better-prepared for the upcoming matches. Russia are next in action against Slovakia on Wednesday, while England take on their neighbors Wales a day later.
Goal of the day
Luka Modrić hit this screamer of a volley in Croatia’s victory over Turkey.
In the news
A Northern Ireland supporter has tragically died after falling in an accident in Nice (Guardian)
Juventus are on the brink of signing Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanić (Juventus)
Manchester United’s Dutch legend Jaap Stam is set to kick off his managerial career at Reading (BBC)
An England supporter remains in a critical condition with “severe brain injuries” after clashes with Russian fans (PA)
You should be reading
Tim Vickery has been looking at whether Brazil’s Copa América exit will spell the end for coach Dunga (ESPNFC)
Barney Roney has criticised the French authorities for their failure of planning (Guardian)
Raphael Honigstein has been assessing Germany’s tournament-opening victory over Ukraine (ESPNFC)
What happened on Thursday
Copa América
Ecuador romped to victory over Haiti en route to the Copa América knockouts
Euro 2016
Croatia saw off Turkey courtesy of the aforementioned Modrić screamer
Poland huffed and puffed and eventually blew Northern Ireland’s door down
And Germany did just enough to see off a stubborn Ukraine
This article was written by Jack Sargeant from SB Nation and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
