England have been warned that they could be kicked out of Euro 16 if their fans continue to trash cities and battle with the security forces.
The build up to the tournament was dominated by fears over terrorism but it was old fashioned hooliganism that has dominated the headlines since the tournament opened on Friday night.
Following two nights of fighting in Marseille the French city was turned into a war zone yesterday as thousands of English fans arrived for last night’s match which ended in a draw with Russia.
It was initially thought that UEFA would limit punishment to events inside the stadium but that changed this afternoon with a new statement on the issue.
The statement warned: “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 (RFS), including the potential disqualification of their respective teams from the tournament, should such violence occur again.
“We urge both the FA and the RFS to appeal to their supporters to behave in a responsible and respectful manner.
“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.”
While many English media sources are blaming Russian fans, local ultras and the police for the troubles in Marseille UEFA have put responsibility on the FA to sort out their hooligan fans.