But, as with the England fans, it is believed that a sizeable contingent of hardcore fans looking for fights have also travelled. “Two hundred and fifty Russian fans repulsed an attack by several thousand English and forced them to flee,” state news service Vesti reported. The initial response of Russian media to the scenes of violence in Marseille was one of gloating that Russian fans had come out on top, and planting the blame squarely on England supporters. One Moscow-based lawyer, who travelled with CSKA Moscow fans to away games, recounted tales of long bus journeys to far-flung Russian towns, permeated by heavy drinking and fights organised with the home fans on arrivals. Some reports in Moscow insisted that a small group of England fans had attacked hundreds of Russians and provoked them into a response, while others painted a picture of heroic Russians fighting off hordes of English hooligans.

Source: The Guardian June 11, 2016 21:45 UTC