Violent clashes between English and Russian soccer fans broke out in the southern French city of Marseille on Saturday ahead of the two countries' opening Euro 2016 match, leaving at least one person critically ill in hospital, Reuters reported. Riot police fired volleys of tear gas and deployed water cannon trucks to break up several skirmishes in the narrow streets of the city's Vieux Port (Old Port) and outside the Velodrome stadium. There were also scuffles between visiting fans and locals, with some wielding cafe tables as weapons. European soccer's governing body, UEFA, condemned the violence. "People engaging in such violent acts have no place in football," it said in a statement. Marseille's emergency services said 15 people were injured during the fracas, including one middle-aged man who was knocked unconscious, and one England supporter who suffered a heart attack. By Saturday evening, tens of thousands of fans had descended on Marseille ahead of the evening's match. Broken glass and debris littered some roads and alleys near the waterfront, the focal point of clashes between English, Russian and French fans.
