Euro 2016: Alcohol ban and extra police ahead of England-Wales game

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Image caption Extra French police have been deployed to Lille ahead of the next set of Euro

2016 games

French authorities are restricting the sale of alcohol and drafting in 4,000 extra police in Lille ahead of England and Russia's next Euro 2016 matches.

Shops selling alcohol are closed until Friday, while some 350 bars will shut early on Wednesday and Thursday.
England and Russia fans are gathering in Lille, and the FA has expressed "serious concerns" about security after clashes between supporters last week.
Russia has been given a suspended disqualification from the tournament.
And six England fans were jailed following Russia and England's draw in Marseille on Saturday.

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Fans of the two teams are due to cross paths again as England supporters travel to Lille ahead of Thursday's match against Wales - which is being held in nearby Lens - while Russia have played Slovakia in Lille itself on Wednesday.

• How is French security ensuring fan safety?
• Q&A: Who is to blame for the violence?
• Russia's new breed of hooligans
• What do Russian fans say?

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At the scene

Image copyright AP

By James Reevell, BBC News
For the first time this week, Lille city centre has felt like it was hosting a major international football tournament.
Slovakian fans filled the streets with singing and horns, as England and Wales fans looked on.
For the third day running French police have stepped up their presence. Heavily armed in riot gear are visible across the city and plain clothes officers were stopping and searching Russia fans - clearly determined to spot any of the hardcore hooligans who caused such problems in Marseilles.
Outside Lille's train station in the early afternoon, England fans were drinking and singing loudly.
Riot police have been in close attendance, with a few small pushes happening between them and the fans who've had a few drinks.
The mood remains rowdy rather than threatening, but it is easy to see how things could turn. The news that Russia were losing their game was greeted with glee, with chants of "Russia's going home".

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Michel Lalande, prefect of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Picardy region, said the drinking ban would cover some parts of central Lille and the stadium.
Shops selling alcohol in the city closed from 18:00 local time (17:00 BST) on Tuesday and will reopen at 06:00 (05:00 BST) on Friday, he said.
However, the BBC's Geraint Owen in Lille says small supermarkets are still selling alcohol, which is being drunk openly on the streets.
Vince Alm, of the Football Supporters' Federation Cymru, said the ban is not enforceable.
"There are so many outlets around it's impossible," he said.
England fans are being discouraged from travelling without a ticket, and the authorities are asking fans if they can wait to travel on Thursday to watch the Wales game.

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