"Since the championship began, law enforcement carried out more than 1,000 arrests, as result 600 people were detained and 56 were convicted," he said in an interview with La Provence newspaper.
He also noted that 34 people had been deported from France.
France is hosting the Euro 2016 football championship, which started on June 10 and is due to end on July 10. Although the English were the first to get a reputation for engaging in so-called football hooliganism, other association football (soccer) fans calling themselves 'ultras' hailing from Germany, Poland, Russia and other countries have become increasingly violent, resulting in bloody clashes between rival nations.
Perhaps the most notorious 'ultras' in recent years were the Ukrainian nationalists allegedly responsible for the May 2, 2014 Odessa clashes that ultimately resulted in the Trade Unions House fire, which claimed dozens of lives.
