Russian sports minister makes bizarre claim about rioting fans

Good news everyone, Russian fans didn't charge at England supporters in the Stade Velodrome on Saturday night.

You didn't see hundreds of Russians break through the perimeter set by stewards in the stadium and rush at opposing fans, including a father who pleaded to be allowed escort his son to safety. https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/741895392418222080 No, according to the Russian sports minister, you were simply imagining things.

"There was no clash… that's being exaggerated."

Phew, well that settles that then. Thank you, Vitaly Mutko. It turns out a collective trick of the mind has been played on thousands of supporters in attendance in Marseilles, and millions watching at home. Mutko continued to set the world straight, saying:

"In fact everything is fine here. When the match ended, there was no barrier between the fans. The British were upset, of course, but it all quickly dissolved." "Such matches should be organised properly. It is necessary to separate the fans [at the stadium]. The bad thing is that there were firecrackers and flares. There were no nets. One must understand these things."

We'd imagine Mutko will be a key witness in the case against the Russian FA as Uefa have opened disciplinary proceedings for "crowd disturbances and racist behaviour." We're sure once he tells them they were simply imagining things, like the rest of us, it'll all be cleared up. https://twitter.com/SkySportsNewsHQ/status/741932153634574337