Leader of Russian far-right ‘ultras’ vows to return to Euro 2016 after being deported over footie violence

THE Russian far-right football fan leader, who was expelled from France over unrest at Euro 2016, has vowed to return before the end of the tournament.

Swaggering into Moscow airport wielding a Russian flag, Alexander Shprygin said there is nothing to prevent him and the other 19 suspected hooligans from returning to France.

The head of Russia's National Supporters Association was among 20 Russian fans deported from the Euro 2016 host country for disrupting public order and initiating violent clashes with English fans last week.

The group was forced to fly from Nice to Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport early on Saturday after French investigators failed to slap specific charges its members.

But police said they suspected some of them were violent and well-organised hooligans.

Shprygin said the fans had received usual exit stamps that would allow them to return France.

"I have a desire to (go back)," he told reporters before adding that he had bought tickets to Russia's match against Wales on Monday.

"I plan to make this decision after I go home and see my family," he said.

The other expelled fans echoed their leader's statements, swearing their innocence and said their treatment had been unfair.

"When the French fans come in 2018 (for the World Cup hosted by Russia), I hope no-one will touch them or insult them," said Vitaly Petrakov, a 48-year-old Moscow Torpedo fan.

Ivan Mironov, who heads the local branch of the fan association in Russia's Perm region, said the group could not be held responsible for individual fans' behaviour.

"There were 15,000 Russians at the game in Marseilles," he said. "How can one organisation be responsible for all of them?"

Shprygin told his followers: "There is injustice in life, but you are not at fault. Be assured that we are innocent. We did not invalidate the visa, you can return to France without any problems."

French authorities, acting on a tip-off from Russian police, raided a hotel near Cannes on Sunday and combed through hundreds of hours of video to link suspects to the disgraceful disorder.

Russian officials meanwhile have expressed conflicting opinions about fighting among football fans, spanning from condemnation to outright endorsement.

President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that fighting among football fans was a "disgrace" but questioned how "200 of our fans could beat up several thousand English," drawing laughs and applause from the audience at the economic forum he was addressing.

The lawmaker who employs Shprygin at the Russian parliament, Igor Lebedev, wrote on Twitter earlier this week he saw "nothing wrong" in the clashes and encouraged the Russian supporters to "keep it up."

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