11 June 2016

Football idiot for the day

The BBC has an article about yet another clown from the UK, acting out:

One British football fan and one local man have been arrested after police used tear gas to break up trouble in Marseilles, France ahead of Euro 2016. Earlier reports said two British fans had been arrested, but this was later clarified by French police.
Chief Superintendent Steve Neill, a British policeman in Marseilles, said that the confrontation had been between local youths and some England fans. Police said the incident had been dealt with quickly.
The clash with locals took place outside a pub in the Old Port district at about midnight.
Four French policemen had been lightly injured as they moved in on British fans, the news website France Bleu reported. Many of the fans had been drunk, it said.
After the tear gas was released, the police restored calm to the area at about 02:30 local time. There had been no damage to local property, they said.
Neill, who is in charge of British fan security, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "About midnight last night there was confrontation between a group of local youths and some England supporters. Local police moved in very quickly and utilized some tear gas to disperse the local youths and close the pub. The use of tear gas seems quite dramatic to us from England and the United Kingdom, because we are not used to seeing it, but in mainland Europe it is a regular tactic and they restored order fairly quickly."
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for football policing, said England supporters had been in Marseilles on Thursday "without issue" before a group of approximately seventy local youths had approached the pub where England fans had congregated.
Footage showed men hurling chairs, a fist fight outside a fast-food restaurant and chanting British fans surrounded by police officers with dogs. Ambulances were seen arriving after police carrying riot shields moved in to separate the crowd and tear gas was used to clear the area.
"We need to keep it in context: there are thousands of England supporters who will come here and have a fantastic time," Neill said.
"There is a small minority who drink too much and get involved in some anti-social behavior."
Supporters have travelled to Marseilles ahead of England's game with Russia on Saturday.
Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters' Federation (FSA), which runs the fans embassy in Marseilles, said: "It's the job of the police to prevent a confrontation, and they used French methods to do so, which we're not particularly used to. They used tear gas, which is a little bit indiscriminate for my liking, but it did the job and the problems were over."
Tournament organizers UEFA said it "regrets the skirmishes that occurred in Marseilles".
It said: "We are confident that the safety of traveling fans will be ensured by the local authorities, which are responsible for order in the city. We make an appeal to all fans to behave respectfully throughout the tournament."
English football's governing body, the FA, said it was "really disappointed by the scenes of disorder in Marseilles" and that it condemned such behavior. "It is in the hands of the authorities to identify those involved and deal with them appropriately," it said. "The FA urges supporters who are traveling to Marseilles to act in a respectful manner and enjoy the match against Russia."
Rico says that 'drunk & unruly' seems to be the norm for football fans, theirs and ours...

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