No UEFA committee meeting called, England in clear

PARIS (Reuters) - European football's governing body UEFA said on Thursday it was planning no Executive Committee meeting in the wake of overnight fan violence on the streets of Lille.

(Reuters)

UEFA's decision effectively means England are not under any threat of disqualification over their fans' behaviour. Any decision to expel England for crowd disturbances outside the stadium would need to be taken by the executive committee.

French riot police charged and used tear gas to disperse rowdy English football fans in Lille on Wednesday, though the northern city was spared feared clashes with Russian supporters.

Throughout the day, police said, 36 people were arrested for various offences as Russia lost to Slovakia in Lille and England prepared to play Wales in the same Euro 2016 group in nearby Lens on Thursday.

On Sunday, UEFA's executive committee warned both England and Russia that it would "not hesitate" to impose sanctions, including disqualification, if there was a repeat of violent disturbances by their fans in Marseille the day before.

These sanctions would be in addition to anything imposed by UEFA's own disciplinary committee which can only deal with incidents which take place inside stadiums.

(Reporting by Brian Homewood and Ossian Shine; Editing by Angus MacSwan)