Two separate reports have emerged of a small number of England fans mistreating poor and homeless children in France.
This Wednesday, Financial Times’ Paris correspondent, Michael Stothard documented an incident between some England fans and a seven year old child who was begging in Lille.
England fans in Lille just got begging 7 year old to down a whole beer in exchange for some coins. #EURO2016 pic.twitter.com/XeaeaSzb3G
— Michael Stothard (@MStothard) June 15, 2016
Talking to BuzzFeed News about the incident, Stothard says he witnessed two football fans cheering on two young boys, one of whom (the seven year old in the photograph) was drinking a full bottle of beer.
“One of the fans then gave him a handful of coins, perhaps a few euros in change”, Stothard said in a short interview with the website.
“It was quite clear that they had put him up to drinking it in the first place.
The same fan then gave the boy — who was stumbling around a bit — a newly lit cigarette. The boy took it but immediately threw it on the floor and stamped on it.”
Michael Stohard’s report shortly follows the release of shocking footage from Russian sports journalist Max Allanazarov on Tuesday 14 June.
In Allanazarov’s clip shows a number of England fans drinking in a beer garden in Lille. Within the crowd around six men throwing coins and laughing at gipsy children begging for money. There has also been another video clip, aired by Ruptly, showing a small number of England fans engaging in the same behaviour, throwing coins towards different children in another part of the city.
English fans are mocking at gipsy children throwing them coins pic.twitter.com/vWMuGrq0QV
— Max Allanazarov (@KyKyPyKy22) June 14, 2016
England fan behaviour has been subject to scrutiny since the beginning of EURO 2016. Following a number of clashes between England and Russian fans and French police in Marseille, UEFA has warned they would disqualify the England team if “totally unacceptable” behaviour continued to occur inside stadiums.
Feature image: Max Allanazarov
