Russia fans charge English in stands after match as violence erupts again

In the closing minutes of the match, banned items flares and firecrackers were let off before Russian supporters stormed towards the England section, forcing many to climb fences to escape, moments after Vasili Berezutski scored an injury-time equaliser after Eric Dier’s opening goal

Speaking after the match, England's head of media relations Mark Whittle condemned the violence.

Reading a statement on behalf of the FA he said: "We regret the trouble in Marseille today."

"The FA is very disappointed about the terrible scenes of disorder and of course condemns such behaviour.

"It is now in the hands of the relevant authorities to identify those involved in trouble and deal with them appropriately and quickly.

"At this time the FA urges England supporters to act in a respectful manner and support England in the right way."

It comes after days of violence in the city, which had seen bloody scenes in the Old Port area earlier in the day leading to a total of 31 injuries, according to Marseille's emergency services - including two serious injuries.

Meanwhile Russia striker Artem Dzyuba controversially thanked Russian fans after the match.

He said: "I thank all our fans. It was a really warm atmosphere tonight."

Eurosport's Marcus Foley, who was in the ground for the game, tweeted pictures of the incidents.

The BBC's Nick Eardley wrote on Twitter: "Have never seen anything like this in football stadium. Utter panic in England as some Russians charged. Women and children trampled.

"England fans (and many French people too) climbing fences to avoid Russian supporters."

A Reuters witness also confirmed the events, saying the Russian supporters grabbed flags and threw projectiles, forcing panicked England fans to clamber over barriers as stewards looked on.

A UEFA statement read: "People engaging in such violent acts have no place in football." The governing body added that it can only take disciplinary action against countries whose fans are involved in incidents inside the stadium perimeter.

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko downplayed the incidents that may lead to sanctions against Russia by UEFA and told Russia Today: "There was no clash...that's being exaggerated, in fact everything is fine here.

"When the match ended, there was no barrier between the fans. The British were upset, of course, but it all quickly dissolved.

"Such matches should be organized properly. It is necessary to separate the fans," but he conceded "The bad thing is that there were firecrackers and flares.”