Russia have been charged with 'crowd disturbances, racist behaviour and setting off of fireworks' following the violent clashes that marred England's Euro 2016 opener in Marseille.
The Russian Football Union will discover on Tuesday whether they will face sanctions after supporters stormed the England section at full-time in chaotic scenes inside the Stade Velodrome.
UEFA have not opened any case against England.
These are the ruthless football 'ultras' who symbolise the new Russia...
GUY WALTERS: Ruthless thugs symbolise new Russia
By Guy Walters for the Daily Mail
13 June 2016
Daily Mail
With their sunburnt limbs festooned with tattoos, and wearing the usual shorts, T-shirts and trainers, it is easy to assume that the Russian hooligans responsible for so much mayhem in Marseille over the weekend are no different from the violent louts from these shores.
But appearances can be deceptive, for unlike his paunchy, drunken British counterpart, the Russian football hooligan is a truly terrifying figure.
In the main, he is well disciplined and prepared, extremely fit, muscular and politically motivated by extreme Right-wing nationalism.
One Russian yob encapsulated the difference on Twitter yesterday: 'Respect for Russian hooligans. Real fighters, not fat f***ing drinkers of Guinness.'
Ready for battle: Russian ultras are not only the most vicious species of hooligan around, but also the best organised — partly because many have daytime jobs that involve wearing uniforms
Supporters grapple among rows of seats in the Stade Vélodrome during the England vs Russia match
Not for nothing are the Russians known as 'ultras' — a term originally applied to ultra-fanatical fans of any particular club anywhere in the world, but now increasingly used to describe hooligans who focus on doling out extreme savagery, rather than on admiring the 'beautiful' game.
And it seems Russian ultras are not only the most vicious species of hooligan around, but also the best organised — partly because many have daytime jobs that involve wearing uniforms.
'We are hard men, many from the army and police,' bragged one ultra called 'Yuri' on Facebook in February.
'Not soft English men in their Lacoste clothes and girls' shoes. Fans from all clubs, Moscow, St Petersburg, anywhere, will all be on same side.
'We fight in the woods, and train and fight at matches. England fans will have no chance. Russia is number one. We like beer and girls, too, just like you but fighting is number one.'
And, as has become disturbingly clear on the streets of Marseille, the Russian ultras really do like fighting.
English fans tried to escape the violence as they were attacked by hundreds of Russian supporters in the Stade Vélodrome
Russian supporters parade the English flags they stole in a square in Marseille
Russia salvaged an undeserved 1-1 draw against a dominant England in both sides' opening match of Euro 2016 with a 92nd minute goal from Berezutski at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille
Distressing scenes of English fans being smashed over the heads with chairs, or beaten up while lying half-naked and defenceless among broken bottles, shocked even those wearily accustomed to major football tournaments being scarred by hooliganism.
Rather ironically, the Russian ultras claim to trace their heritage to the English hooligan 'movement' of the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties.
'English hooligans used to be cool, and ten to 20 years ago they were a role model for Russian fans,' wrote an ultra insider on social media before the tournament.
'But time goes by and at the coming Euros, the English alcoholics will be beaten up by Russian sportsmen. The English are not as passionate as they once were.
'Speaking of Russia, you're dealing with some of the most violent and unpredictable hooligans of Europe.'
'Two hundred and fifty Russian fans repulsed an attack by several thousand English and forced them to flee. English fans started the fight by attacking our fans, but 250 Russians from different corners of our country did not flinch and repulsed the attack of the heavily drunken islanders.' - Russian state news service Vesti tried to pin the blame for the violence onto the English
The ultras see themselves like an army and photograph themselves for social media websites, standing bare-chested in massed ranks. They often display banners stolen from supporters they have beaten up, holding them upside-down as a form of humiliation.
Yesterday on Twitter, many ultras' accounts showed them smirking over inverted banners bearing the names of English towns and clubs such as Burnley, Ipswich and Grantham, posted with captions such as: 'How are you now?'
The antagonism between the ultras and English fans — among whom, it should be stressed, there are plenty of thugs — almost feels like a proxy version of the political antipathy that exists between the UK and Russia after President Putin's military incursions into Ukraine.
Chaos broke out in the Stade Vélodrome as Russian fans fought with English supporters after the nations met in their opening group clash
As a result, the clashes were surely predictable — which raises the question of why so many ultras were allowed to make their way to France.
Two decades ago, the presence of Russian football supporters at European championships was a rarity because most Russians lacked the income to travel abroad.
Indeed, for most of the second half of the 20th century, few of them were even allowed to leave their country. But today they are generally free to travel and have far more disposable income.
Some ultras even have professional jobs — and it is partly because they come from apparently decent backgrounds that they can evade the authorities' efforts to stop them travelling.
One ultra, a lawyer called 'Roman', claims the Russian Federal Security Service may have stopped some ultras but there are enough in France to cause plenty of violence and bloodshed.
A man hold his child in the middle of it all
'Our numbers won't be that big,' he said. 'But we will be able to fight against anyone.'
To make matters worse, in some quarters of the Russian media, the actions of the ultras are being celebrated as if they were those of a triumphant army.
'Two hundred and fifty Russian fans repulsed an attack by several thousand English and forced them to flee,' reported Vesti, the state news service, using the type of language and inflated figures that would once have been churned out by the Soviet propaganda machine.
But then, with so many of their number supporting Putin's annexation of Crimea, the highly nationalistic ultras are hardly the type of people with whom the Russian leader is likely to take issue.
In fact, in 2010, when ultras staged a mass riot outside the Kremlin in protest at the murder of a Spartak Moscow fan — supposedly by someone from the hated Caucasus region south of Russia — Putin aggravated matters by urging ultras and others to 'come down hard' on crimes committed by non-Russians.
Although the ultras do not have the formal backing of the Russian president, some in Moscow draw pride from what they have 'achieved' in Marseille.
Yesterday, Igor Lebedev, a member of the executive committee of the Russian Football Union, said Russian hooligans were 'protecting the honour' of their motherland.
'Our fans are by far not the worst ones,' he said. 'It is not clear why the media are trying to blame the actions of Russian football fans, and what for?
'The boys protected the honour of the country and did not give the English a chance to abuse our motherland. Our fans must be understood and forgiven.'
Such misplaced sympathy will surely have to be stifled, though, given that in 24 months' time, Russia will host the football World Cup. Undoubtedly, in the ranks of the ultras, plans are already being hatched to attack foreign fans.
It is now up to President Putin to show he can be as tough on the ultras as he is with his enemies.
Read more: GUY WALTERS: Ruthless thugs symbolise new Russia* | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
The Russian Football Union will discover on Tuesday whether they will face sanctions after supporters stormed the England section at full-time in chaotic scenes inside the Stade Velodrome.
UEFA have not opened any case against England.
These are the ruthless football 'ultras' who symbolise the new Russia...
GUY WALTERS: Ruthless thugs symbolise new Russia
By Guy Walters for the Daily Mail
13 June 2016
Daily Mail
With their sunburnt limbs festooned with tattoos, and wearing the usual shorts, T-shirts and trainers, it is easy to assume that the Russian hooligans responsible for so much mayhem in Marseille over the weekend are no different from the violent louts from these shores.
But appearances can be deceptive, for unlike his paunchy, drunken British counterpart, the Russian football hooligan is a truly terrifying figure.
In the main, he is well disciplined and prepared, extremely fit, muscular and politically motivated by extreme Right-wing nationalism.
One Russian yob encapsulated the difference on Twitter yesterday: 'Respect for Russian hooligans. Real fighters, not fat f***ing drinkers of Guinness.'
Ready for battle: Russian ultras are not only the most vicious species of hooligan around, but also the best organised — partly because many have daytime jobs that involve wearing uniforms
Supporters grapple among rows of seats in the Stade Vélodrome during the England vs Russia match
Not for nothing are the Russians known as 'ultras' — a term originally applied to ultra-fanatical fans of any particular club anywhere in the world, but now increasingly used to describe hooligans who focus on doling out extreme savagery, rather than on admiring the 'beautiful' game.
And it seems Russian ultras are not only the most vicious species of hooligan around, but also the best organised — partly because many have daytime jobs that involve wearing uniforms.
'We are hard men, many from the army and police,' bragged one ultra called 'Yuri' on Facebook in February.
'Not soft English men in their Lacoste clothes and girls' shoes. Fans from all clubs, Moscow, St Petersburg, anywhere, will all be on same side.
'We fight in the woods, and train and fight at matches. England fans will have no chance. Russia is number one. We like beer and girls, too, just like you but fighting is number one.'
And, as has become disturbingly clear on the streets of Marseille, the Russian ultras really do like fighting.
English fans tried to escape the violence as they were attacked by hundreds of Russian supporters in the Stade Vélodrome
Russian supporters parade the English flags they stole in a square in Marseille
Russia salvaged an undeserved 1-1 draw against a dominant England in both sides' opening match of Euro 2016 with a 92nd minute goal from Berezutski at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille
Distressing scenes of English fans being smashed over the heads with chairs, or beaten up while lying half-naked and defenceless among broken bottles, shocked even those wearily accustomed to major football tournaments being scarred by hooliganism.
Rather ironically, the Russian ultras claim to trace their heritage to the English hooligan 'movement' of the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties.
'English hooligans used to be cool, and ten to 20 years ago they were a role model for Russian fans,' wrote an ultra insider on social media before the tournament.
'But time goes by and at the coming Euros, the English alcoholics will be beaten up by Russian sportsmen. The English are not as passionate as they once were.
'Speaking of Russia, you're dealing with some of the most violent and unpredictable hooligans of Europe.'
'Two hundred and fifty Russian fans repulsed an attack by several thousand English and forced them to flee. English fans started the fight by attacking our fans, but 250 Russians from different corners of our country did not flinch and repulsed the attack of the heavily drunken islanders.' - Russian state news service Vesti tried to pin the blame for the violence onto the English
The ultras see themselves like an army and photograph themselves for social media websites, standing bare-chested in massed ranks. They often display banners stolen from supporters they have beaten up, holding them upside-down as a form of humiliation.
Yesterday on Twitter, many ultras' accounts showed them smirking over inverted banners bearing the names of English towns and clubs such as Burnley, Ipswich and Grantham, posted with captions such as: 'How are you now?'
The antagonism between the ultras and English fans — among whom, it should be stressed, there are plenty of thugs — almost feels like a proxy version of the political antipathy that exists between the UK and Russia after President Putin's military incursions into Ukraine.
Chaos broke out in the Stade Vélodrome as Russian fans fought with English supporters after the nations met in their opening group clash
As a result, the clashes were surely predictable — which raises the question of why so many ultras were allowed to make their way to France.
Two decades ago, the presence of Russian football supporters at European championships was a rarity because most Russians lacked the income to travel abroad.
Indeed, for most of the second half of the 20th century, few of them were even allowed to leave their country. But today they are generally free to travel and have far more disposable income.
Some ultras even have professional jobs — and it is partly because they come from apparently decent backgrounds that they can evade the authorities' efforts to stop them travelling.
One ultra, a lawyer called 'Roman', claims the Russian Federal Security Service may have stopped some ultras but there are enough in France to cause plenty of violence and bloodshed.
A man hold his child in the middle of it all
'Our numbers won't be that big,' he said. 'But we will be able to fight against anyone.'
To make matters worse, in some quarters of the Russian media, the actions of the ultras are being celebrated as if they were those of a triumphant army.
'Two hundred and fifty Russian fans repulsed an attack by several thousand English and forced them to flee,' reported Vesti, the state news service, using the type of language and inflated figures that would once have been churned out by the Soviet propaganda machine.
But then, with so many of their number supporting Putin's annexation of Crimea, the highly nationalistic ultras are hardly the type of people with whom the Russian leader is likely to take issue.
In fact, in 2010, when ultras staged a mass riot outside the Kremlin in protest at the murder of a Spartak Moscow fan — supposedly by someone from the hated Caucasus region south of Russia — Putin aggravated matters by urging ultras and others to 'come down hard' on crimes committed by non-Russians.
Although the ultras do not have the formal backing of the Russian president, some in Moscow draw pride from what they have 'achieved' in Marseille.
Yesterday, Igor Lebedev, a member of the executive committee of the Russian Football Union, said Russian hooligans were 'protecting the honour' of their motherland.
'Our fans are by far not the worst ones,' he said. 'It is not clear why the media are trying to blame the actions of Russian football fans, and what for?
'The boys protected the honour of the country and did not give the English a chance to abuse our motherland. Our fans must be understood and forgiven.'
Such misplaced sympathy will surely have to be stifled, though, given that in 24 months' time, Russia will host the football World Cup. Undoubtedly, in the ranks of the ultras, plans are already being hatched to attack foreign fans.
It is now up to President Putin to show he can be as tough on the ultras as he is with his enemies.
Read more: GUY WALTERS: Ruthless thugs symbolise new Russia* | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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