Marseille (AFP) – A Russian was taken into custody in Marseille on Monday in connection with an attack that left an English football fan in a serious condition after fighting at the Euro 2016 football tournament.

The 31-year-old, originally arrested in Germany in February, will face trial in connection with a mass attack that left a fan with permanent damage after he was hit with a chair, and is under provisional custody, state prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux told AFP.

German police detained the wanted man on February 21 on his arrival at Munich airport en route to Bilbao, where he was travelling for Spartak Moscow’s Europa League tie.

The suspect, who was not named by police, risks up to 15 years in jail in France for attempted homicide and grievous bodily harm.

The arrest came just months before Russia hosts the World Cup from June 14 to July 15, with fears running high of a repeat of the 2016 rampage by Russian hooligans that erupted in the French port city of Marseille.

Scenes of the street battles ahead of the Russia-England match in Marseille on June 11, 2016 shocked the world and marred the tournament.

The clashes left 35 people injured, including two England fans who suffered serious injuries.

French authorities had for months been seeking the suspect, who along with several other Russian hooligans is accused of attacking 51-year-old England fan Andrew Bache.

Bache was left paralysed on the left-hand side of his body after being hit around the head with an iron bar.