England and Serbia fans clash ahead of Euros match
Police officers speak with supporters arriving at the Arena AufSchalke ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024 Group C football match between Serbia and England in Gelsenkirchen on June 16, 2024. Gelsenkirchen has been declared high risk by the police due to fears Serbian ultras could clash with the tens of thousands of England fans that have made the trip to north-west Germany. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)
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"There were clashes between English and Serbian fans, who were separated by the police," a police spokesman told AFP.
The spokesman was not able to give any details of arrests or injuries.
The German Bild daily published images showing an altercation on the terrace of a restaurant, with chairs being thrown around.
Several people were injured and a group of England supporters were arrested in a nearby pub, the report said, without giving numbers.
An AFP journalist saw broken glass on the restaurant terrace and witnessed a group of Serbian fans about to be escorted out of the area to an underground station by police.
Germany has deployed a large police presence to Gelsenkirchen in western Germany for the match between England and Serbia, which kicks off at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT).
Supporters at the match will also only be able to purchase reduced-strength beer, police said Friday.
A 2.5-percent "light beer" will be served in the stadium, with fans limited to two drinks at a time, a spokeswoman for police in the German city told AFP.
The decision for Sunday's match had been taken for "security reasons", the spokeswoman said.
England fans infamously clashed with supporters from Russia ahead of their match in Marseille, France, at Euro 2016, which saw running battles between hooligans.
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