Britain Bans 2,000 Football Hooligans From Euro 2016 in France

Euro 2016 is due to be held between June and July across venues in 10 French cities, including the Stade de France in Paris, and stadiums in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Saint-Denis and Toulouse.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Some 2,000 British football fans have been issued with banning orders, preventing from traveling to the upcoming UEFA Euro 2016 in France, local media reported Thursday.

"At any one time, we've got about 2,000 people on a banning order and those are people we really don't want traveling because of their past behavior. So there will be a comprehensive operation in the run-up to the tournament to really try to ensure that those people cannot travel to France," Assistant Chief Constable Mark Roberts said, as quoted by the Sky Sports channel.

The French authorities need to focus on public safety during the championship, the British police constable said, adding that the United Kingdom is one the few countries with legislation against football hooliganism.

On Tuesday, a UEFA operations director said that the football authority is prepared to reschedule the Euro 2016 games and hold matches behind closed doors due to terrorism concerns. He added that the venues and cities may be changed at very short notice.

Security concerns over terrorists targeting mass events in France were raised after a suicide attack outside the Stade de France stadium in Paris last November.