England’s Wayne Rooney kicks the ball past Russia’s Feder Smolov during the Euro 2016 Group B soccer match against Russia, at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille
Developments and events yesterday from soccer’s European Championship (all times are Paris time, GMT+2):
1:45 p.m.
England coach Roy Hodgson and captain Wayne Rooney have appealed to fans to behave after UEFA threatened to kick the team out of the European Championship.
The video messages were published Monday, one day after UEFA warned the English and Russian soccer federations they risked being disqualified for a repeat of violence in Marseille which blighted the teams’ opening Euro 2016 match on Saturday.
Hodgson says “I am obviously very concerned about the threat which is now hanging over us.”
The coach appealed to fans ahead of Thursday’s match against Wales in Lens to “stay out of trouble,” adding: “We worked very hard to get here and we really desperately want to stay in the competition.”
Rooney tells fans: “Please, if you don’t have a ticket, don’t travel.”
To fans going to the match, Rooney says: “Be safe, be sensible and continue with your great support for the players.”
1:40 p.m.
Just when he was about to speak at a France team news conference, music started blaring from Moussa Sissoko’s phone.
The Newcastle midfielder grabbed it but struggled to turn it off, drawing laughter and prompting team press officer Philippe Tournon to jokingly ask for the phone to be “evacuated” from the room.
Sissoko handed his phone to a member of staff and, once the laughter had subsided, started talking about France’s match against Albania on Wednesday.
12:55 p.m.
UEFA has opened a disciplinary case against the Croatian soccer federation after a fan ran on the field to join players celebrating a goal against Turkey.
UEFA says Croatia is charged with “field invasions by supporters.” Its disciplinary panel will judge the case on July 21.
Croatia and Turkey have also been charged with fans lighting fireworks, and Turkey for a firework being thrown.
National soccer federations are held responsible by UEFA for their fans’ behavior in and around stadiums.
After Luka Modric’s 41st-minute goal in a 1-0 win at Parc des Princes on Sunday, a man came to the edge of the field from the main stand.
Wearing a red-and-white checkerboard Croatia shirt, he huddled with blue-shirted players by the corner flag before being led away by stadium security staff.
The incident happened in the first Euro 2016 game after Russian fans charged at England supporters at Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Saturday evening.
UEFA is set to announce punishments for Russia’s soccer federation on Tuesday.
12:25 p.m.
Croatia captain Darijo Srna has left France to return home for the funeral of his father.
Croatian soccer federation spokesman Tomislav Pacak says Srna has joined his family in his hometown Metkovic. The federation has also sent officials to be with their most capped international.
Srna was told that his father, Uzeir, had died soon after Croatia’s 1-0 win over Turkey in Paris on Sunday.
It is unclear if Srna will return for the team’s second Euro 2016 match on Friday against the Czech Republic in Saint-Etienne.
Pacak says in a statement to The Associated Press: “We’ll see when exactly will he join the team again.”
The 34-year-old Srna played his 130th match for Croatia on Sunday.
12:20 p.m.
A Northern Ireland fan has died in the French city of Nice, where the country’s national soccer team was playing at the European Championship.
The Northern Irish soccer association confirmed the death in a statement Monday, but did not name the person or give any details. The death did not appear to be related to violence.
Alan McVeigh, a spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland, says it was “a man in his 20s from Northern Ireland.”
Local French authorities had previously said nine people were injured Saturday in Nice, including one with head injuries. That followed clashes between local Nice hardcore fans and supporters of Poland and Northern Ireland.
Poland beat Northern Ireland 1-0 on Sunday.
11:50 a.m.
Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin says 150 Russian hooligans were behind much of the violence that broke out in Marseille ahead of the England-Russia game on Saturday.
Robin spoke after a weekend of violence in the French port city ahead of the European Championship soccer game on Saturday, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
About 35 people have been injured, including four people whose conditions were described as serious. Robin told reporters Monday that while “almost all of those who were wounded were British,” England supporters were also responsible for some of the violence.
He said 20 people have been arrested. Ten of them — six Brits, an Austrian and three French — will face immediate trial.
French police officers charge football supporters during clashes in downtown Marseille
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