France has moved to deport 20 Russian football fans, including Russian Fans' Union leader Alexander Shprygin over the violent clashes in Marseille, the union's press service said in a statement Wednesday.
Shprygin and the other supporters will be deported within five days. The decision was made by the French authorities for security reasons, as they the Russian supporters as a potential threat, the statement said.
The union will attempt to appeal the deportation, Shprygin told the R-Sport news agency.
The Fare network, which is employed by UEFA to monitor racism within stadiums, has identified Shprygin as a far-right activist responsible for introducing neo-Nazi practices to the Russian supporters' scene, the Guardian reported Monday.
He has been photographed giving the Nazi salute and recently said that there should be “only slavic faces on the Russian national team,” the Guardian reported.
A group of 43 Russian supporters were arrested Tuesday on their way from Marseille to Lille.
The arrests came after violent clashes involving Russian football supporters before and after the match of Russian national team with England in Marseille on June 11. At least 35 people were injured as a result of the brawls, four in serious condition.
The independent UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body handed the Russian Football Union a fine of 50,000 euros ($168,000) and placed the Russian team under suspended disqualification — accusing Russian fans with crowd disturbances, racist behavior and setting off fireworks within the Stade Velodrome.
Three Russians will stand trial for violence during the Euro tournament, Agence France Press reported Thursday. Their identities have not yet been released.
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