MARSEILLE: Hundreds of fans charging through streets holding chairs above their heads ready to throw and bloodied, bare-chested men brawling with police -- football’s plague of violence has returned with a vengeance in France.

English and Russian supporters fought pitched battles in Marseille ahead of their countries’ Euro Championships opener on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), with bottles and cafe chairs flying and clouds of teargas choking the city’s Vieux-Port district.

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