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Englishmen abroad fuelled by drink, drugs and vengeance

An undercover assignment in France exposes a swaggering hardcore full of aggression

John Simpson | Wesley Rock
June 18 2016, 12:01am, The Times

?We hold the boozer til the sun goes down then we get into them,? said Chaz. ?Once it?s dark we?ll have these Russian c***s.?

It was still light when the first trouble broke out minutes later. Russian ?ultras? had tossed a banger at a large group of England fans, and as the explosion echoed across the square a stampede of English hooligans tore through the back streets of Lille towards them.

A bottle and other missiles flew from the small attack squad of black-clad Russians. Riot police swooped in to box off the England fans, who danced and hugged as the adrenaline rose until tear gas was fired and batons were raised.

For three days two Times journalists went undercover with the young men at the centre of the violence that has marred the first week of the European Championship in France. The hooligans included nurses, managers and office clerks who openly planned to seek vengeance against the Russian ultras after organised armed attacks in Marseilles left two Britons in a coma.

While the vast majority of England fans behaved impeccably, an aggressive hard core arrived in Lille before the second match against Wales intent on settling the score.

Chaz, still bruised from fights in Marseilles, and his friend, known only to the reporters as Big Phil, were part of a ?firm? of England fans all in their mid to late twenties. They had joined forces from Nottingham, Bristol, Derby and Bolton after years of following England together. Amid the tension, the fraternity and camaraderie was always palpable. Grown men who had never met hugged, sang and danced together like old friends and the buzz of running the streets and dodging tear gas canisters drove them ever closer.

The England hooligans do not wear team colours or replica kit and they refer to fans that do as ?shirties?. Stone Island jackets and Adidas trainers mark out the troublemakers. Chaz, a manager for a timber merchant, had driven over on the ferry from Dover to Calais with four friends, heading first to Marseilles then back up to Lille.

The diehard West Ham United fan, covered in team tattoos, casually threw around racist terms such as ?w**? and ?P***? as the group prowled the streets. Women, children and locals going about their day were not excluded from the treatment. The racism was at its worst in the main square, where Roma street children were mocked, pushed and kicked as England fans tossed coins into the air for them to fight over.

One fan shouted ?little gypsy bastard?.
?Come on then, I?m here,? Chaz barked at a man in a Slovakia shirt, launching the last of his beer across the street. The running battles had begun on Tuesday night, with Russians sending in scouts before descending on bars and picking off fans in football shirts. A Russian gang known as the Orel Butchers instigated much of the violence.

Sober, regimented and striking kickboxing poses, in every scuffle the ultras outmatched the English in sheer violence and deadly intent, despite facing superior numbers.

In contrast, the England fans were drinking heavily and charged on cocaine and MDMA, or Ecstasy, which was taken openly in the streets. The English organised on the hoof, forming mobs that roamed from bar to bar. They joined forces with Welsh fans and sang: ?F*** off Russia, we?re England and Wales.?

When the unrest peaked on Wednesday night, Chaz and his group were in the thick of it as they toured the city seeking out Russians. Riot police charged hundreds of England fans through a red fog from flares and clouds of tear gas. That night 36 people were arrested and 16 were taken to hospital. One of the group showed up the next day on crutches and Big Phil had seen himself on Sky News. ?I?m f***ed when I get home,? he said, adding that he had a criminal record in England for football-related violence and that ?my local old bill know me?.

As well as the younger element who spearheaded the marauding crowds, older members of traditional English club firms were a constant presence. They shared old tales of the terraces.

Paul, a former member of one of the Leeds firms, said: ?My mate was one of them that got macheted in Pompey [Portsmouth]. Problem is, these new firms, they?re kids. They don?t give a f***.? Some of the youngsters chimed in with pride that one of their number was related to a well-known Portsmouth hooligan. ?He?s a legend, mate.?

Despite the threat from Uefa, European football?s governing body, to expel Russia and England from the tournament after the violence in Marseilles, the England fans in Lille made light of their various appearances on television and news websites.

By Thursday, when the Russians had moved on and some high-level arrests disrupted the Russian gangs, the mood lightened and Welsh fans mixed with the English. Nonetheless rival groups clashed, with a further 17 arrests.

Last night President Putin weighed in to the controversy over fan violence, saying: ?I don?t know how 200 Russian fans could fight several thousand of the British.? But time spent on the streets of Marseilles and Lille prove they could and they did.

At the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Mr Putin said: ?The European football cup is taking place at the moment but I believe that people are paying more attention to the fan fights. And I regret saying this.?

As the anthem, ?Don?t take me home, please don?t take me home I just don?t want to go to work?, was roared out late into the night after the match against Wales, a turbulent week cast a long shadow over England?s victory.

? Two England fans were deported yesterday for attacking a French bus passenger as they made their way to Lille before the match against Wales. Lewis Lambert, 27, and Lee Sherry, 28, both of Southampton, were sentenced to two months in jail, suspended for five years, and ordered out of the country.

Posted By: Dr Baker on June 18th 2016 at 14:25:49

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