Zurich, June 12 (IANS) World football’s governing body FIFA on Sunday said it “strongly condemns” the violent clashes that took place between Russian and English fans during a Euro 2016 group stage match in Marseille on Saturday.
In a statement released on its official website on Sunday, FIFA said: “FIFA strongly condemns any form of violence and finds it wholly unacceptable to see such shameful scenes around football matches perpetrated by a minority of idiotic troublemakers, who have nothing to do with football and its true fans.
“Events such as UEFA EURO 2016 are attended by millions of people from around the world simply with the intention of celebrating football and enjoying the matches, and that is how it should always be,” FIFA added.
The match between England and Russia ended in a 1-1 draw at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
Towards the very last minutes of the game on Saturday, Russian fans started throwing fireworks and missiles into the English stands, leading to some violent clashes.
The riots continued on the streets of Marseille, leaving 35 injured, while eight people were arrested by security forces.