The Marseille prosecutor, Brice Robin, said 150 Russian hooligans behind much of the violence that broke out in the city before the England v Russia game were “trained to fight”.
Robin spoke after a weekend of violence in the host city for the European Championship Group B match on Saturday, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The prosecutor said he did not think the Russian hooligans were “professional” but they “were extreme”. There were 12,000 Russian fans in Marseille who travelled to the city by train, he said.
“There were 150 Russian supporters who in reality were hooligans,” Robin said. “These people were well prepared for ultra-rapid, ultra-violent action. These are extremely well-trained people.”
About 35 people have been injured, including a 50-year-old English fan who was left in a critical condition with severe brain injuries after being attacked by Russia supporters armed with iron bars.
Robin said while “almost all of those who were wounded were British”, England supporters were also responsible for some of the violence. He said 20 people had been arrested – including a 16-year-old England fan – and 10 of them (six Britons, an Austrian and three French) will face immediate trial.
Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson and Wayne Rooney have implored supporters to stay out of trouble after Uefa threatened to throw both England and Russia out of the tournament while Russia’s governing body has called on their fans to “obey the law” and “respect the opponents and their fans”.
An additional security concern surrounding Russia’s match with Slovakia on Wednesday in Lille is that England fans will not be far away. England plays Wales the following day in Lens, which is around 19 miles away. Many British fans are expected to travel through much-larger Lille, or even stay there, en route to Lens.
French authorities are stepping up their security efforts and sending an extra company of at least 80 riot police officers to the city, on top of the 480 police officers and eight companies of riot police already planned for matches in Lille.
But the head of the All-Russian Fans’ Union has said that the risk of more violence at upcoming games is lower because many Russians are returning home.
Alexander Shprygin says “there will be three times fewer Russians than there were in Marseille” when the team plays Slovakia in Lille on Wednesday. The All-Russian Fans’ Union is a body with backing from the Russian government and soccer authorities.
Shprygin says many fans, both ordinary supporters and troublemakers, have flown back to Russia after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with England for financial reasons. Travel abroad is costly for Russians after the ruble fell sharply in value.
