A poilcier behind his shield against English supporters during clashes, June 11, 2016 in Marseille – LEON NEAL AFP

Only a few days of competition and already a man in critical condition. The violent clashes that took place Saturday in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) on the sidelines of the meeting considered at risk
 England’s 35-Russieont injured. street brawls, downtown ransacked, people with blood …
 The scenes, widely shared on social networks, could only strike with terror those who watched them. “We were completely overwhelmed by these hooligans”, has also confessed Jean-Claude Gaudin, Mayor of Marseille on Monday. Bernard Cazeneuve, he denounced “unfair controversy.” So, is the fight against hooliganism well assured? 20 Minutes an update on the situation.



How is the fight against hooliganism during Euro?

It is managed from the Centre international police cooperation (CICC), based in Seine-et-Marne, where are gathered two liaison officers from countries participating in the Euro as well as representatives of the police, Interpol and Europol. The two liaison officers (English, French, Belgian, English …) are in constant contact with six other officers of their nationality, called spotters, who “are responsible for accompanying supporters of their country, and to help local authorities to identify those who might commit disturbing public order, “says Antoine Boutonnet, director of the national fight against hooliganism Division (DNLH). Spotters in each country are accompanied during their local police patrols.



Who are the spotters?

The spotters are police officers that must above all be spotters to remember faces perfectly crossword fans. They also need to adapt to situations as quickly as possible and have a very good knowledge of the customs of their fans: “You must know perfectly the sociology of its supporters and to anticipate with respect to reactions of primers: some fans love to fan walks, others gather in squares or in bars, but not just any “explains Antoine Boutonnet.

are they well prepared?

Their training varies by country. In France for example, there is no specific training for this mission, she gets on the field with colleagues and it takes about a year to have a good knowledge of the supporters of the team that was responsible. Spotters follow all year fans