England And Russia Could Be Disqualified From Euro 2016 [Video]
UEFA had warned the English team and the Russian team that they could be disqualified from the Euro 2016 tournament if their fans are involved in further violence.
In a strongly worded statement, the governing body of the Euro Cup warned both nations about the behaviors of their fans. UEFA have reportedly already started disciplinary proceedings against the Russian team over the actions of their fans on Saturday night at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, following the draw against England.
There was violence before and after the match on Saturday, both inside and outside the stadium. In the streets of Marseille, violence had been ensuing since a couple of days earlier. Six British nationals are reportedly still in a hospital. Following the violence on Saturday, UEFA issued an official statement on Sunday, saying that the behavior of the “so-called supporters” of the national teams of England and Russia had no place in football. This was followed by a warning to both the teams, that they could be kicked out if further violence ensued.
“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 (RFU), including the potential disqualification of their respective teams from the tournament, should such violence occur again.”
Euro 2016 has so far met with a fair share of hooliganism, with another footage released earlier that shows Ukraine and Germany fans throw chairs.
Regarding the efforts of the French officials in handling the incidents, UEFA said the following.
“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.”
Following the major violence on Saturday, the French government announced that there would be a ban on alcohol around the Euro 2016 stadiums and fan zones.
The chief executive of the governing body of English football, the Football Association, spoke of the incidents and the threat of ban, accepting that there a lot of effort that needed to be made to urge their fans to act in a responsible way. But he didn’t shy from throwing jabs at the Russian fans.
“Clearly there has been a problem [with England fans]. There is anti-social behaviour [sic] by a minority of supporters and on top of them we have seen a level of criminality from organised [sic] Russian gangs and locals, which has changed the scene totally.”
A spokesman for the U.K. government also spoke on the matter.
“The U.K. Government is deeply concerned by the violence in Marseille last night, including reports that in some cases England fans were attacked by rival supporters. We condemn the violence and urge calm on all sides.”
According to Telegraph reports, England captain, Wayne Rooney, is set to record a message to the England supporters, urging them to behave in the wake of this threat that their country could be kicked our of the Euro. Rooney is set to deliver the message from the team hotel on Monday, alongside an official statement by the FA to the UEFA, responding to the warning.
[Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images]
