Euro 2016: Russian men on trial over England fan attack

Andrew Bache was left "disabled for life" by the attack, his lawyer said

Two Russian men have gone on trial in France accused of severely injuring an England supporter during the Euro 2016 football tournament.

Andrew Bache, 55, from Portsmouth, was left "disabled for life" following the attack in Marseille, his lawyer said.

Pavel Kossov and Mikhail Ivkine deny attempted homicide at the trial in Aix-en-Provence.

The England-Russia match saw hours of street fights around Marseille's old port between rival fans.

Russian football fans "mounted an urban guerrilla offensive" against rival supporters, the court heard

Mr Bache suffered brain and lung injuries as well as bone fractures and was placed in an induced coma following the assault on 11 June 2016, police previously said.

His lawyer, Olivier Rosato, told the court his client was "so physically and psychologically affected, with a condition somewhere between Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's, that he is unable to give evidence".

He said the accused pair were among a group of "Russian hooligans" who "mounted an urban guerrilla offensive" against England fans before the match.

Mr Ivkine told the court he was confronted by a group of England fans and acted to defend himself, throwing a chair which "grazed" Mr Bache.

Speaking through an interpreter, he said he was a sports teacher who was passionate about "kick-boxing, traditional boxing and taekwondo, but also philosophy".

Mr Kossov said he jabbed at Mr Bache's head with "a hand not a fist" and did not recall kicking him as he lay on the ground.

Psychologists have found that Mr Kossov lacks empathy and "a grip of reality" while Mr Ivkine is "neurotic", the court was told.

The men were arrested in Germany in February 2018 while they were on their way to a Spartak Moscow match in Spain.

The trial, attended by Mr Bache's son, Harry, is expected to last until Friday.