Euro 2016: Three England fans to appear in court after Marseille violence

Three England fans and a French woman will appear in court on Saturday after being charged with acts of violence in Marseille, the state prosecutor’s office said.

Three England fans and a French woman will appear in court on Saturday after being charged with acts of violence in Marseille, the state prosecutor’s office said.

England supporters throw projectiles among tear gas at the port of Marseille before the game. (Reuters Photo)

All four were held in custody overnight after being arrested for throwing cans at police as trouble flared ahead of England’s Euro 2016 opener against Russia.

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 Saturday.

Police made a total of seven arrests on Friday as scores of England and Russian fans clashed at Marseille’s historic Vieux Port.

Bottles and other objects were hurled at the security forces who responded with tear gas. Despite the trouble, no injuries were reported.

The night ended with hundreds of boozed-up and bare-chested fans stood, beer glasses in hand, staring down French CRS riot police on the other side of the street.

Fresh trouble flared hours before Saturday’s 1900GMT kick-off at the Stade Velodrome - one of five games in Euro 2016 labelled ‘high risk’ for fan trouble by French authorities.

The scenes of street battles from Marseille over the past 48 hours have evoked unhappy memories of England hooliganism in the port city at the 1998 World Cup.