Two English fans were arrested last night in the French city after a confrontation between a group of local youths and England supporters.
French police used tear gas to disperse the crowds while one supporter suffered a head injury after being hit in the face with a wooden chair.
Ch Supt Steve Neill, who is a British policeman in charge of England fan security in Marseille, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We need to keep it in context - there are thousands of England supporters who will come here and have a fantastic time.
"There is a small minority who drink too much and get involved in some anti-social behaviour.
"The use of tear gas seems quite dramatic to us from England and the United Kingdom because we are not used to seeing it - but in mainland Europe it is a regular tactic and they restored order fairly quickly."
Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters' Federation, which runs the fans' embassy in Marseille, said he believed the locals turned up intending to provoke English fans.
"It was all fine until, our understanding is, a group of around 30 to 40 locals turned up, I think with the intention of provoking the England fans to see if they could get a rise out of them," he said.
Source: Sportsbeat
