CARNAGE unfolded at the 2016 Euros as Russian ultras launched one of the bloodiest hooligan brawls in a generation on boozed up England fans.
Over 100 Three Lions supporters were left “walking wounded” with some in a critical condition after barbaric attacks that saw Russian thugs stalk drunken fans outside of pubs and bars.
The Euros in France was viewed as a major failure for England both on the pitch and off it due to the disturbing levels of fan violence.
Now infamous, the Battle of Marseille saw England fans stand toe-to-toe with some of the hardest fans on the planet across several days of fighting.
Russian hooligans were described as “hyper-rapid and hyper-violent” by the chief prosecutor in Marseille for their heinous planned assaults eight years ago this week.
Before the tournament had even begun, scraps broke out between England fans and rival supporters in the city with cops being forced to tear gas local youths.
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After England drew with Russia on June 11, more severe clashes broke out on the street.
The Russians came with serious intent to carry out barbaric violence. They were highly organised, very effective and we saw football hooliganism on a different level
Steve Neill
Twisted plans from a Russian hooligan blog revealed the ultras coordinated their attacks to cause trouble outside of boozers in a piazza near the Old Port.
Russian ultras began to lob things from chairs and bottles at the England fans to provoke them to come outside for a fight.
Due to the drinking, many fans were left in a stupor and accepted the grim deal.
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Streaming drunks filed out of the pubs with their hands raised as several others converged in Marseille to join the brawl.
British police feared at the time that at least five England fans could’ve died from their injuries.
Police spotters out in France said the streets looked like a “battlefield“.
Saying the violence was the most extreme and brutal they had ever witnessed by football mobs.
Thirty England fans were taken to hospital across the opening weekend of Euro 2016 with serious injuries.
One of the most shocking scenes saw a Three Lions fan stumbling across the cobbled streets after a Russian maniac had severed his Achilles tendon.
Another reportedly had glass shards sticking out of his neck.
I stood in Marseille as the senior officer believing we were going to get five fatalities that night, we might have five murders on our hands.
Steve Neill
Senior police chief in Marseille Chief Superintendent Steve Neill said: “The Russians came with serious intent to carry out barbaric violence. They were highly organised, very effective and we saw football hooliganism on a different level.
“It was like a herd of wildebeest rampaging through tables and chairs, fights going off, people being kicked on the ground by groups of five or six men.
“I stood in Marseille as the senior officer believing we were going to get five fatalities that night, we might have five murders on our hands.”
The scenes became so violent that cops deployed anti-terrorism procedures as well as spraying water cannons and dropping tear gas on scuffling fans.
Clashes also broke out in the stadium during the one all draw with shocking pictures of fans with ripped tops running from Russian brutes.
Russia, the clear aggressor in the brutal beatings, were given a suspended disqualification as a team and fined €150,000 (£126,000).
But, more violence erupted between English and Russian fans in Lille a few days later.
At least 40 fans were reportedly arrested, 50 Russians deported and dozens left injured after the clashes.
After the tournament Russian politicians claimed the country had been singled out for unfair treatment.
Britain’s Andy Burnham condemned the violence saying England had bene let down by a minority of their own fanbase.
Former England manager Roy Hodgson and captain Wayne Rooney pleaded with fans to “stay out of trouble”, prior to the final match of the group stages.
Euro 2024 hooligan fears
With just days left before the biggest tournament of the summer kicks off worrying reports of hooliganism have already come out.
With England fans being warned that a 500-strong army of “violence-seeking Serbian hooligans” are set to swarm Sunday’s huge Euros clash.
The opening game for both sides has already been labelled as a “very high risk” match by German cops with 1,300 extra officers being deployed on matchday as well as heavily increased surveillance.
Serbian ultra groups such as Headhunters and Gravediggers are among some of the most feared football fans in Europe.
They have regularly caused riots on the streets and fierce fights up in the stands at international matches – even by pitch invading and attacking rival players.
With England fans also being known for causing havoc at football matches through distasteful chants, alcohol-fuelled ventures and their undying arrogance over the team’s ability on the pitch.
Rowdy Three Lions fans and ruthless Serbian ultras are flocking to Germany over the weekend to take part in what could be one of the most volatile games of the tournament.
Despite Both saying they don’t “have concrete information” on the number of travelling thugs he vowed his team will prepare for any eventuality.
He told The Guardian: “I guess the biggest challenge for us will be to identify violent, disruptive groups at an early stage, to separate them from peaceful and law-abiding fans, that will be our biggest challenge.”
Roughly 500,000 Serbs live in Germany and there are fears some may travel to Gelsenkirchen specifically to cause trouble.
Around 22,000 federal police officers will be on duty every day of the tournament across Germany.
With officers from across the continent being on high alert for any potential suspects at borders and train stations.
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Further restrictions saw booze banned in the stadium for the match and replaced by low alcoholic shandy.
The Foreign Office were issuing official warnings to fans telling them to “drink responsibly” after concerns were raised over the cheap price of strong beer in Germany.
Are the Serbs the most notorious football fans?
FROM pitch raids to mass brawls and death threats, Serbian hooligans are known wreak havoc and create carnage during football games.
Die-hard groups of hooligans are intertwined with football in Serbia – and they are known for ruthlessly attacking players on the pitch and storming opposition stalls when the match turns against them.
Hooligan firms in the Balkan state have chilling names such as The Gravediggers, Head Hunters, Zulu Warriors, and the Red Devils.
And one of their most vicious leaders is known as “Ivan the Terrible”.
In 2012, Ivan – who has been linked to Serbian far-right paramilitaries – forced a Euros qualifying match between Serbia and Italy in Genoa to be abandoned after trying to attack rival fans and police.
He rallied supporters to lob live flares and bangers onto the pitch as players warmed up and ordered them to break down barriers separating them from Italian fans while taunting police.
Tracing their lineage back to the Balkan war of the 1990s, Serb football hooligans are renowned for their tough-as-nails attitude and love of violence.
They are known for throwing live bangers at players who have switched sides and invading the pitches when games don’t go their way.
In the past, the Ultras have killed rival fans – including a Toulouse supporter in 2009 who was beaten to death with iron bars and bicycle chains.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
