France security ‘extraordinary’

Security in France will be on an “extraordinary scale” for Euro 2016, fans heading to this summer’s tournament from Britain have been warned.

Up to 500,000 British football fans, around half of whom do not have tickets, are expected to travel to France for games across the nation.

Potential flashpoints during the tournament include the England-Wales game in Lens, and England’s fixture against Russia in Marseille, a city which saw ugly clashes between home supporters and riot police in the 1998 World Cup.

British police are hoping to act as “cultural interpreters” to prevent heavy-handed tactics against drunk and rowdy fans who may not cause serious trouble.

Police delegations representing England, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to travel to the tournament, which has seen massive demand for tickets from the home nations.

French authorities have already told English and Welsh fans without tickets not to travel to Lens, and there will be an alcohol ban in the city centre for 24 hours from 6am on match day.

England and Wales were each allocated 9,000 tickets for the game, but …

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