Stakes High As Lille Prepares For England And Russia

 

It feels like a normal Monday in Lille until you reach the city's main square. A group of England supporters are posing for pictures with German fans. There are other English fans sightseeing in Crystal Palace and West Ham shirts.

People are drinking and eating in peace, but 24 hours ago this is where German fans clashed with Ukranian supporters. The French authorities were slow to react to those disturbances. Hopefully, they will be better prepared when thousands of England and Russia fans arrive here over the next few days. Russia are playing Slovakia in Lille on Wednesday. England and Wales meet in Lens on Thursday.

Lens is the smallest host city and is only 30 minutes away by car from Lille. Lille has many more hotels and bars than Lens and a much bigger fanzone. That is why England fans had been advised to go to Lille for the Wales game.

What it all means is that on Wednesday there are going to be thousands of England and Russia fans in Lille. The stakes are high. Any repeat of the scenes in Marseille and Russia and England could be thrown out of the tournament by UEFA.