500,000 UK fans set to travel for Euro 2016

Up to 500,000 British football fans, around half of whom do not have tickets, are expected to travel to France for Euro 2016, police have said.

Potential flashpoints include the England-Wales game in Lens, and England’s fixture against Russia in Marseilles, 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.