Violence has already wrecked the start of Euro 2016 - it is about time law enforcement steals the show.
Not in a scattergun approach of pepper spray and batons but in a robust and organised fashion to restore faith that security forces can keep fans safe in France.
Trouble flared in parts of Lille last night - mainly involving England fans - as hundreds of riot police charged in to clear the city centre just before midnight.
Most revellers got the hell out of the way, aware their night of chanting and tribalism was at an end. They’ll have sore heads this morning.
Others stood defiantly, raising their hoods and spreading their arms wide as clouds of tear gas filled the air around them. A minority of thugs. They will have sore eyes this morning.
Some, regrettably, did try to pick fights. They will hopefully wake up in a police cell.
Elsewhere, social networks were awash with videos of England fans left to enjoy themselves and getting on fine - that is the rule, not the exception.
Still, the media went into meltdown claiming that “large-scale clashes" in central Lille could be the end for England or Russia. The pictures do not look good. But they never do. And pictures are easier to come by than ever before.
It actually seemed the sort of tactical show of strength the French authorities had failed to demonstrate until now.
Armoured officers systematically swept through large groups, claiming territory gradually and clearing the city bit by bit.
England fans may not have started it, they may not have liked it.
But it was late, locals were tired and fed up of flares and bravado. And, in a city gripped by fear of large-scale ultra-violent clashes, the police had decided the fun was over.
After the three-day festival of violence that turned Marseilles into Tear Gas Central, the police needed to reassess their strategy to prevent a repeat and protect well-meaning fans.
Officers in Lille were accused of over-reacting. That is beside the point.
What they did was send a message ahead of an England v Wales match that many fear could again attract Russian gangs. That message was clear: Not in our city.
UEFA’s recent disqualification threats mean nothing to the hooligans that are in town purely to cause havoc.
It is not enough just to wait for it to happen again. The problem needs prevention rather than reaction or people are going to end up getting killed.
Pubs, bars, squares, walkways and a stadium were turned into war zones last week and it is unacceptable that thousands of innocent fans are getting caught up in it and put at risk.
It simply could not continue in that manner.
You can just about understand why hooliganism took France by surprise - since November the country's police have been training to deal with a far more dangerous threat.
But UEFA have no excuse. They have been caught napping amid a misplaced assumption that football could be the unifying force that held up two fingers to terrorism.
How wrong they were. And now it is too late for them to do anything about it.
Disqualification will not stop these guys travelling, their tickets are already booked. It will not stop them fighting, their minds are already made up.
Until the late-night police charges in Lille, French ministers' claims that the area and neighbouring Lens would be in "lockdown" were unfounded.
Lockdown need not mean curfews, alcohol bans and empty streets. But it should mean strong police lines, total segregation where possible and no tolerance on confrontations.
Yesterday afternoon, given widespread reports and videos, it looked like none of that was in effect.
Police should not be using tear gas as a first option, scattering fans down backstreets and moving the trouble further down the road.
They should not be steaming into bars with shields and riot gear just because some clown has scaled a lamppost in his undies.
In Britain, away fans are frogmarched from stations to stadiums by acutely planned police operations. They use barriers and kettling tactics to calm crowds and keep them away from rivals and key locations.
Why on earth Russia and England fans had been allowed to come together in Lille the last few days was beyond belief.
Stories of English waiting for Russians at the station and pictures of police littered among groups of rival supporters with no clear strategy all added to a sense of lawlessness creeping back in.
But last night the police finally looked like they had a strategy.
It might not have been perfect, it may even have been heavy handed but English fans must accept that- in the battle to seize back control of Euro 2016 - it was a step in the right direction.
Police wrestling back control?
posted on 16/6/16
Devon: don't you think that with what happened in Marseilles that the police were just flexing their muscles a bit?
It was much better than the haphazard approach in Marseilles, which only made the situation worse.
I'm hoping once tonight is out the way then it might die down a bit and police will be a bit happier to leave fans to it.
posted on 16/6/16
Bang Em all up for a year. And watch the West Ham millwall and chelsea attendances half next season.
Logs
posted on 16/6/16
comment by TaxiForMaicon (U18583)
posted 5 minutes ago
Kicking anyone out is pointless. As I say in the post (which is too long for Man United fans) troublemakers already have their tickets and if violence is organised then they will go - regardless of whether they have a game to go to.
Maybe banning us from the next one could work but then hundreds of thousands of fans have their summers wrecked by a minority of bellends.
Local police forces throughout the UK need to keep better tabs on these guys and, when tournaments come around, ban all but the best behaved from travelling.
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So many words. Could you sum this up in a sentence?
posted on 16/6/16
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 2 minutes ago
While you can clearly see a lot of idiots (still a massive minority) giving it large at French police, surely there has to be a more diplomatic and peaceful way of moving people on.
Cooperation between UK and French police so that announcements are made, so all can understand that for example, bars are closing in 30 minutes, they will be asked to move on. Those causing trouble (flares etc) should be targetted instead of the first action being 100s of Riot police moving in to move everyone on.
Its like being in a nightclub and when the lights go on bouncers immediately start physically throwing people out the door....its gonna cause problems and many innocent people will get caught up in it.
You get this kind of drunk late night f*ckwit behavior in most UK cities most friday nights ....difference being they dont get charged by riot police at last orders.
It is a total embarrassment but the french police have no idea how to tackle it and make worse/inflame the situation IMO.
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Early this morning I watched an interview of an England fan in Lille. He was a documentary maker and had been to Marseille a few months ago interviewing Marseille 'Ulras'.
He was told by one of them that there would be trouble, not because of fans, but because the french police would be incompetent, they would have no idea how to manage the situation. I think this is ringing true.
In France they just have a blanket ban on certain fans from travelling to games on matchday, thus limiting any problems.
The England fans that are congregating in really large numbers and are drunk, loud and quite disorderly, in England would be dealt with reasonably passively by British police.
In France, the police don't really encounter anything like it, so have no real idea how to manage the situation. The react aggressively, rather than be more passive. They'll shoot tear gas into a crowd, thus inflaming a situation, because idiot, drunk fans aren't really used to that situation either.
posted on 16/6/16
comment by blueinbarca (U3426)
posted 40 minutes ago
The French Police hate the English and target them indiscriminately,they arrested NO Russian ultra-violent lowlives in Marseilles that says it all.It's driven by hatred of English from the French and nothing more,cheese eating surrender monkey muppets!
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yeah well most of what you have siad is wrong, they stopped a bus outside of Marseilles and have deported over 20 Russians including a high level guy in these gangs who was there co-ordinating apparantly.
posted on 16/6/16
I think the French cops have been heavy handed but they're also on edge with all the issues currently in France.
posted on 16/6/16
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 16/6/16
"yeah well most of what you have siad is wrong, they stopped a bus outside of Marseilles and have deported over 20 Russians including a high level guy in these gangs who was there co-ordinating apparantly"
Actually the bus they stopped was an official supporters club from Russia,so I would suggest it is you Sir,who is talking utter carp!
posted on 16/6/16
comment by blueinbarca (U3426)
posted 2 hours, 18 minutes ago
"yeah well most of what you have siad is wrong, they stopped a bus outside of Marseilles and have deported over 20 Russians including a high level guy in these gangs who was there co-ordinating apparantly"
Actually the bus they stopped was an official supporters club from Russia,so I would suggest it is you Sir,who is talking utter carp!
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Fair enough but your original suggestion is outrageous
Get that blue chip off your shoulder skip
posted on 16/6/16
How about keeping the Bumbs, who have been arrested, behind bars until the tournament is over? Then ship them back to the homeland at their own expense!