The spectre of football hooliganism was raised on the eve of UEFA Euro 2016, as two England fans were arrested following a brawl in Marseille city center.
The BBC reported trouble erupted in the southern French port city just before midnight on Thursday night, outside the Queen Victoria pub in the city where a large group of England fans had gathered.
An argument appears to have started when men described as "local youths" confronted the England supporters.
Le Monde reported 200 England supporters were dispersed by tear gas. One was arrested for assaulting a barman, and the other for violent disorder. The individuals have not been named.
The confrontations have stirred ugly memories of the FIFA World Cup in France in 1998, when England and Tunisia fans engaged in pitch battles in Marseille.
At Euro 2000 in the Netherlands and Belgium, England was threatened with expulsion from the tournament unless its fans stopped their violent behavior in Brussels and Charleroi.
England's first game of the tournament is against Russia in Marseille at the Stade Velodrome on Saturday evening.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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