Euro 2016: UEFA hands Russia disqualification lifeline

The European governing body Uefa on Tuesday said Russia will be kicked out of Euro 2016 if their fans cause further trouble.

The Russians have also been fined 150,000 euros (£119,000) following violent scenes at the game against England in Marseille on Saturday.

The suspended disqualification and fine relate only to incidents that happened inside the stadium.

Meanwhile, groups of Russian fans are also being deported from France as a result of trouble at the tournament.

Russia coach Leonid Slutsky is confident his squad will not be excluded from the tournament.

“We are sure our supporters will not do the same and will not give any reasons to disqualify our team,” he said.

“We’re not at a street fighting championship. Please, let’s focus on football.”

England were also threatened with disqualification but were not formally charged by Uefa.

England manager Roy Hodgson and captain Wayne Rooney have already urged fans to “stay out of trouble”, while midfielder Adam Lallana said players would be “devastated” if they were kicked out of the tournament.

Further trouble between England and Russia fans is anticipated this week given that both are likely to gather in Lille.

Russia play Slovakia in the city on Wednesday, while England fans are expected to congregate there before Thursday’s match against Wales in the nearby town of Lens.

French authorities have already pledged to increase security in Lens by deploying 2,400 police, gendarmes, security guards and a riot squad.

Drinking alcohol in the streets has also been banned.

But Greg Dyke, chairman of the English Football Association, has expressed “serious concerns” about security in neighbouring Lille.

The British government has said it will send more British police officers trained in football disorder to France ahead of the match.

Meanwhile, Slovakian football officials have urged their fans to avoid Russian and England supporters in Lille and lens.

They say Slovak fans should not to react to any provocation and to immediately leave a scene of a conflict.

Russia has been in trouble with Uefa in the past.

It was handed a six-point deduction, suspended for three and a half years, after supporters behaved badly during Euro 2012.

Russian can appeal the latest Uefa decision, but although sports minister Vitaly Mutko, who is also president of the Russian Football Union, called the punishment “excessive”, he indicated that would not happen.

French police blamed 150 “well-trained” Russian hooligans for clashes before Saturday’s 1-1 draw with England on Saturday.

Six England fans were jailed on Monday for their roles in the disorder.

Over three days of disorder in Marseille, 35 people were injured – most of them England fans – and a total of 20 people were arrested.