Euro 2016: Fresh clashes in Marseille

Fresh clashes erupted on Saturday between football fans gathered in the southern French city of Marseille ahead of a Euro 2016 match between England and Russia, police said.

Security forces fired tear gas to disperse fighting fans for the third day in a row, just hours before the match which is one of five Euro games classed as high-risk for hooliganism.

“Police intervened in a clash between English, Russian and French supporters in the Vieux-Port district,” said local police chief Laurent Nunez.

Meanwhile, three England fans and a French woman were to appear in court on Saturday charged with acts of violence in Marseille, the state prosecutor’s office said.

All four were held in custody overnight after being arrested for throwing bottles and other objects at police as trouble flared on Friday.

One of the three English nationals picked up is a minor and will appear before a juvenile judge.

A Frenchman arrested for violence and theft with violence on Thursday appeared before a judge earlier on Saturday.

The scenes of street battles from Marseille over the past 48 hours have evoked unhappy memories of hooliganism by England fans in the port city during the 1998 World Cup that was hosted, and won, by France.