Russian and Polish football fans were involved in a series of violent clashes ahead of Tuesday's Euro 2012 match between the two teams, resulting in over 100 arrests.

It is believed that at least 10 people were injured during the fighting, which erupted during a march involving thousands of Russian supporters celebrating their country's national day. Riot police took to the streets to keep the peace while a water cannon was later deployed around the city's fan-zone, although its deployment merely served as a deterrent.

Some 6,000 policemen are now on duty to prevent clashes from escalating and it is believed that they have served their purpose as the latest reports from Warsaw suggest that the situation has calmed.

The rivalry between the two countries has been intense for several years, and it was feared that tension could ignite in the build-up to the match as the two sets of fans entered the National Stadium, and so it proved. The two-kilometre march from the centre of Warsaw to the stadium, which acted as the catalyst for the violence, was approved by local authorities, despite protests from the conservative Polish opposition. UEFA charged the Russian soccer association on Saturday after fans were filmed fighting with stadium stewards after a European Championship match.

 COURTESY OF FIVE-NIL SPORTS (www.five-nil.com)