As cleaners hosed down sidewalks and swept up broken glass early Friday, the manager of an Irish bar near where soccer supporters from England fought overnight with locals in Marseille's historic center said youths from the city's gritty suburbs provoked the clashes.
The brief clashes late on Thursday revived bitter memories of days of bloody fighting in this Mediterranean port city between England hooligans, Tunisia fans and locals of North African origin during the World Cup in 1998, and raised fears of more violence ahead of Saturday's European Championship match between England and Russia at the Stade Velodrome.
Now, law enforcement authorities are bracing for two days during which tens of thousands of England and Russia fans are expected to descend on the city for the match.
French Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said four police officers were lightly hurt in Thursday's violence and police detained two people, one French and one English.
"UEFA regrets the skirmishes that occurred in Marseille yesterday," the governing body of European soccer said Friday in a statement. "We are confident that the safety of travelling fans will be ensured by the local authorities which are responsible for order in the city. We make an appeal to all fans to behave respectfully throughout the tournament."
Following deadly attacks in Paris by Islamic extremists and fears Euro is also a target, security already is at an unprecedented high for month-long tournament that kicks off Friday in Paris when France takes on Romania.