AN ENGLAND fan has spoken of the moment he and two friends had their Hereford FC flag stolen after being pounced on by Russian ‘ultras’.

Alex Hempton-Smith was walking to Marseilles’ Stade Velodrome with friends Joe Wright and George Francis when four or five supporters of England’s Group B opponents wrenched the flag from the group and fled.

The Hereford-based trio said they were left “stunned” by the episode, which happened shortly before England’s opening
Euro 2016 tie.

“We were just walking from our apartment towards a little square,” said Mr Hempton-Smith, who is 24 and works at Kidwells Solicitors in Rotherwas, Hereford.

“We had bought a flag with the Hereford Football
Club emblem on it. My friend had it on his back.

Out of nowhere, a group of four or five ran at us and grabbed the flag. My friend was punched in the back of the head.

“It wasn’t a massive scuffle but we were stunned.”

The three friends then made their way to the State Velodrome where England drew 1-1, but events in the stands
after the final whistle again made headlines for the wrong reasons as some Russian fans charged at rival supporters.


“We were at the opposite end of the ground but it was still quite scary,” said Mr Hempton-Smith.
“Looking through the concourses under the stand you could see people running in panic.
“We saw the flares and heard a massive bang. It did make us think that if you can get a flare in there you can get something more dangerous.”

The following day the friends travelled to Nice,
where Northern Ireland faced Poland, and he described the mood as far more friendly.

“It was a completely different atmosphere there; night and day to what we had experienced in Marseilles,” he said.
“We went to the fan zone and everyone was drinking but there was no hint of trouble.”


He says he enjoyed the experience of watching England abroad but added there is “no chance” he will be travelling to Russia in 2018 when the World Cup is held there.