PARIS, January 18. /TASS/. Two Russian nationals, arrested in France last summer for fights with English football fans during the 2016 UEFA Euro Cup, have been released from prison and deported to Russia, France Press news agency reported on Tuesday.
One more fan, Nikolai Morozov, was released and sent back to Russia earlier, in December.
The two Russian fans at the issue, Alexei Yerunov and Sergei Gorbachev, were detained last summer following mass disturbances involving Russian and English fans on June 11, ahead and during the match of their national teams hosted by Marseille.
After the match, on June 14, French policemen stopped a bus with 43 Russian football fans en-route from Marseille to Lille, where their national team played its second group stage match against Slovakia. All of them including the driver were temporarily put into custody.
A court in Marseille ruled in mid-June last year to sentence three Russian football fans in custody, namely Yerunov, Gorbachev and Morozov, to prison terms ranging from 12 to 24 months after finding them guilty of taking part in the mass disturbances at the 2016 Euro Cup match between England and Russia.
Numerous clashes were reported between football fans at the major European football tournament held in France between June 10 and July 10, 2016.
Law enforcement authorities resorted to tear gas, smoke pellets and water cannons to disperse the brawlers. According to reports, more than 30 people had been injured in violent altercations, with four people sent to hospitals after sustaining severe injuries.