France wants to deport almost 50 Russian football fans - supporters group

MOSCOW (Reuters) - France wants to deport almost 50 Russian football fans, Alexander Shprygin, the head of a Russian supporters' group, said on Tuesday, saying French riot police had stopped a bus carrying fans in Cannes who were on their way to Lille.

(Reuters)

"They want to deport almost 50 people including women who did not take part in anything," Shprygin, president of the Russian Supporters Union, told Reuters by phone.

"The police are making up for their mistakes three days ago. We are in a bus in Cannes and we have been blocked in by riot police. We are not going anywhere for the time being."

He later said the Russian consul had arrived on the scene, preventing what he said was a planned storming of the bus by the police.

There was no immediate comment from French authorities, who have said about 150 hard-core Russian fans took part in serious violence after Saturday's clashes around the England-Russia game in Marseille at the Euro 2016 tournament.

European football's governing body, UEFA, has threatened to expel the Russian and English teams from the championship if the violence persists.

(Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova/Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Andrew Osborn)