Marseille react to violence before England opener

Matt Stead

The clean-up of Marseille was under way after violent clashes overshadowed the build-up to England’s opening game of Euro 2016 as fans were involved in widespread disorder.

Disturbing footage of the second night of trouble showed English fans pelting objects into the street, showering the police with bottles and throwing chairs out of cafes.

Flares were also lit as officers deployed tear gas in an effort to disperse the troublemakers throughout the day.

Reacting to the violence, shadow home secretary Andy Burnham tweeted: “When you think of the terror threat & everything the French are dealing with, makes behaviour of these England ‘fans’ even more embarrassing.”

He said: “As ever, vast majority let down by a minority.”

Bare-chested England fans sang songs about the IRA and German bombers being shot down as violence first broke out on Friday at around 6.20pm French time outside the Queen Victoria pub in the Old Port district.

Fist fights broke out between English, French and Russian-speaking men, and one man was thrown into the harbour after he was beaten to the ground by local fans.

It comes before the England team have even kicked a ball in the tournament, with their opening game against Russia to be played at the city’s Stade Velodrome.

This followed an England supporter suffering a head injury in Thursday night’s brawl after being hit across the face with a wooden chair.