Russians stealing England flags..

[Filo]

Problem is, will England fans manage to contain themselves if they get anything other than a win against Wales.
let's be honest on the domestic front games between English and Welsh teams usually end in some sort of trouble, and have done for years. Cardiff, Swansea et al will all be represented in lens, it does not bode well does it? There will be Welsh idiots who will see an opportunity to goad English into trouble to get England disqualified.

But you're still assuming the England has a hooligan problem. What evidence is there to support that?

Whats the general feeling in France Martin? Do England fans in general think there will be the same scenes on Thursday?

[Andy Samuel]

The types you see outside these Irish pubs on England aways are what the press think are hooligans. Complete non events who get pissed, have a sing song and think they're absolutely nails. It's a complete myth that England has a hooligan problem. It's been and gone.

[silent majority]

Problem is, will England fans manage to contain themselves if they get anything other than a win against Wales.
let's be honest on the domestic front games between English and Welsh teams usually end in some sort of trouble, and have done for years. Cardiff, Swansea et al will all be represented in lens, it does not bode well does it? There will be Welsh idiots who will see an opportunity to goad English into trouble to get England disqualified.

But you're still assuming the England has a hooligan problem. What evidence is there to support that?

Whats the general feeling in France Martin? Do England fans in general think there will be the same scenes on Thursday?

The reports we've had suggest the 'hooligans' who appeared in the last few days days have already been spirited back to Russia, job done. So no.

[Filo]

Problem is, will England fans manage to contain themselves if they get anything other than a win against Wales.
let's be honest on the domestic front games between English and Welsh teams usually end in some sort of trouble, and have done for years. Cardiff, Swansea et al will all be represented in lens, it does not bode well does it? There will be Welsh idiots who will see an opportunity to goad English into trouble to get England disqualified.

But you're still assuming the England has a hooligan problem. What evidence is there to support that?

Whats the general feeling in France Martin? Do England fans in general think there will be the same scenes on Thursday?

The reports we've had suggest the 'hooligans' who appeared in the last few days days have already been spirited back to Russia, job done. So no.

Sounds and looks all very sinister to me

[Andy Samuel]

100% correct silent majority. Done and dusted and counting down the days till wc2018. Grim days ahead.

[Copps is Magic]

There are some very strange comments on this thread - the Russian government sending their army over to France in disguise as football hooligans to beat up a few drunken English blokes, really! Isn't the last line of this piece closer to the truth:

Firstly no one really said that.

Secondly, go take a look at the actions and words of Vitaly Mutko. Go and have a read of Russian state media. Ask yourself how this group of 200/300 got into France and got tickets for the tournament when supposed checks were meant to be in place (and how they've now supposedly gotten out so easily). Situate that within the typical socio-economic capabilities of ordinary Russians. It's not like the Russian government is deeply entrenched in sport as politics is it? Like the state-corporate cronyism surrounding events such as Sochi and the drugs scandals surrounding athletics. Oh wait.

[Filo]

Looking through the pictures online of this bother and all the Russians in the black t shirts were built like brick shithouses, all had well honed physiques, they definatly weren't the typical man in the street types

[Andy Samuel]

Copps you're not a million miles away there. Let's just say this... They're 'very very unlikely' to face any punishment off the powers that be back home if they're identified has bieng involved in disorder in marseille.
Filo, the lads of that locomotive firm(in black tops)have regularly turned up for organised fights with spartak moscow and been well outnumbered. Let's just say they held their own!!

[BillyStubbsTears]

Russia is a gangster state these days. The place is riven with violence. Putin actively consorts with gangs of freelancers who have taken part in fighting in Ukraine and ridden to Berlin to celebrate the Soviet victory over Germany.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/putins-angels-how-russias-night-wolves-biker-gang-spread-kremlins-gospel-fists-bullets-1503499
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/29/russian-biker-gang-in-ukraine-night-wolves-putin

The organised trouble in Marseilles is not something that Russia will be ashamed of. The hierarchy in Russia actively encourages it. They exist by showing the Russian people that they are not to be f**ked around by the West any more, after 2 decades of humiliation. No one will be prosecuted. No one will be banned. This violence may or may not have been officially sanctioned, but is certainly won't be officially punished. It is how Russia works. Bully and intimidate on every single level.

Russia isn't a normal state like the ones in the West. It is f**king terrifying. We whine about the EU and totally miss the point of the real threat further to the East.

Talk about what might or might not happen in 2018 is totally missing the point. If the worst it gets is a few people getting chinned in a bar, we should think ourselves lucky. The real thing to wake up panicking about in the middle of the night is what happens when the likes of these are set loose in the NATO Baltic states. Which WILL happen sometime between now and me retiring. 

[Andy Samuel]

Nailed it there billy.

[Sammy Chung was King]

The types you see outside these Irish pubs on England aways are what the press think are hooligans. Complete non events who get pissed, have a sing song and think they're absolutely nails. It's a complete myth that England has a hooligan problem. It's been and gone.

Hoover said that about organised crime.

[DevilMayCry]

In Romanian press, are some articles, and the russians say they have come to France just to show to english hooligans how to fight. The russians say they are the real hooligans, because they fight only with fists, and not with bottles, tables etc

[Filo]

In Romanian press, are some articles, and the russians say they have come to France just to show to english hooligans how to fight. The russians say they are the real hooligans, because they fight only with fists, and not with bottles, tables etc

They must think that chairs and tables are part of their fists then

[The Red Baron]

The local prosecutor seems to concur with a lot of what has been said by those on the spot.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36515213

[DRFC-Hanksie]

All these eastern teams have something to prove, about who are the top hooligans. As people have said, these Russians wear face masks, balaclavas, gumshields and are tooled up. They've had training camps for these lads, and they're probably all juiced up.

[Dutch Uncle]

The local prosecutor seems to concur with a lot of what has been said by those on the spot.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36515213

The bit of that article that disturbs me is this:

But Russian MP Igor Lebedev criticised French police and called on Russian football fans to "keep up the good work".

"I see nothing wrong with football fans fighting. On the contrary, well done to our boys! Keep up the good work!" he tweeted.

"What happened in Marseille and other French cities is not the fans' fault. It is down to the police's inability to organise and hold such events," he wrote in a separate tweet the same day.

[Chris Black come back]

Lebedev is from a far-right nationalist party. Idiots like him will make such statements. Shame BBC didn't provide context by saying he was such a knuckledragger.

[Dutch Uncle]

Lebedev is from a far-right nationalist party. Idiots like him will make such statements. Shame BBC didn't provide context by saying he was such a knuckledragger.

Thanks CBCB - I had guessed that, but hadn't checked. As you say lazy/unbalanced reporting

[BillyStubbsTears]

Dutch

Apparently he's Vladimir Zhironovski's son...

[Dutch Uncle]

Dutch

Apparently he's Vladimir Zhironovski's son...

I stopped being lazy myself and checked after CBCB's post.

Nuff said

[Bristol Red Rover]

Russia is a gangster state these days. The place is riven with violence.....

From everything I see that appears to be the case. Though practically every country in the world throughout history is the same, just not always so in your face but just the same, a power elite with soldiers/police/warriors to snap at anyone who may seriously disrupt their income streams. Here we have the polished benevolent Godmother Elizabeth.

I realise you are talking gangsters of the gross kind.

[ZiggerZagger]

Spoke to my mate this morning. Said their traveling up to Lens later today, glad to get out of Marseille as the gangs of French Ultras have been creating havoc looking for groups of English fans. Asked him about the Russians, he said they're on the beach and getting ready for the Poland game? Apparently their telling one n all they are "meeting up with their brothers from the Ukraine to sort out the filthy Poles".
He's also been told two England fans have been jailed over the fighting from the other night, not heard anything over here about it unless anyone can clarify.

[Filo]

Spoke to my mate this morning. Said their traveling up to Lens later today, glad to get out of Marseille as the gangs of French Ultras have been creating havoc looking for groups of English fans. Asked him about the Russians, he said they're on the beach and getting ready for the Poland game? Apparently their telling one n all they are "meeting up with their brothers from the Ukraine to sort out the filthy Poles".
He's also been told two England fans have been jailed over the fighting from the other night, not heard anything over here about it unless anyone can clarify.

It's breaking news now about the English fans being jailed, not one Russian fan was arrested, it does look like one big set up to me

[The Red Baron]

I thought the Ukrainians were about as keen on Russians as the Poles were? Unless they all come from the Russophile parts of Ukraine.

Not a nice prospect but I suppose it keeps them away from the England fans.

[Filo]

The local prosecutor seems to concur with a lot of what has been said by those on the spot.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36515213

The bit of that article that disturbs me is this:

But Russian MP Igor Lebedev criticised French police and called on Russian football fans to "keep up the good work".

"I see nothing wrong with football fans fighting. On the contrary, well done to our boys! Keep up the good work!" he tweeted.

"What happened in Marseille and other French cities is not the fans' fault. It is down to the police's inability to organise and hold such events," he wrote in a separate tweet the same day.

That man is also an executive member of the Russian Football Union UEFA and FIFA should be raising serious concerns about those comments from some one linked to the Russian game

[drfchound]

So England are threatened with expulsion from the tournament if our fans keep getting into bother.
I bet we will see some "England fans" smashing bars up and brawling when in reality they will be French lads in England shirts carrying some of the stolen flags.
Hodgsons' appeal has left the situation wide open for something like that to happen.

[Bristol Red Rover]

.....Hodgsons' appeal has left the situation wide open for something like that to happen.

I think Hodgson was wise in making the appeal so as the "team" is then seen to be doing what it can, and kiss ass. Ignoring this, or simply blaming others, or worse, blaming FIFA/UAFA/French organisers would put the team bang in the firing line.

What does need to happen is to follow the matter up after the tournement, like with all barrels blazing, and for that to be backed up by the lacky of the establishment Cameron and our flakey media. A big ask, but if Carlsberg was Team England...

[drfchound]

I am not suggesting the appeal was the wrong thing to do, just that I think I see what is likely to happen as a result of it.

[Sammy Chung was King]

It's a good job i am not president of france, because a few would be getting a metal suppository through the loaf, that would stop this trouble straight away.

[Filo]

Kicking off in Lille now, Russian Ultras attacking England and Wales fans drinking peacfully together, apparently the England and Wales fans are sticking together