After a triumphant start to Euro 2016, France braced for more strike disruptions and hooligan violence as England face Russia in a high-risk match Saturday.

Tragedy has hit Nigeria football again as former Super Eagles coach Shuaibu Amodu died just days after another national team coach Stephen Keshi passed away.

French President Francois Hollande hailed a smooth start to Euro 2016 Friday, despite strikes and terror fears which saw football fans wade through heavy security to attend the opening match.

Women in the national red, white and blue danced the can-can and superstar DJ David Guetta played to a packed stadium at the opening ceremony as France finally got the party atmosphere it had been waiting for, after months of doom and gloom.

Thousands of people on Friday cheered and threw roses in the streets of Muhammad Ali's hometown Louisville as they bade farewell to the boxing legend and civil rights hero known as "The Greatest."

A mass funeral procession, a private burial and public memorial service will wrap up two days of tributes to the three-time heavyweight world champion, who died last week at 74 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

France's main union said Friday that striking transport workers had been instructed not to block football fans from reaching the Paris stadium for the Euro 2016 kick off.

France legend Zinedine Zidane on Friday tipped Belgium to impress at Euro 2016 but dismissed any suggestion that his countrymen were under added pressure as hosts.

Around 250 England supporters pelted police with drink cans outside a bar in the southern French city of Marseille late Thursday ahead of the country's opening Euro 2016 match, a police source said.

Didier Deschamps' France start the European Championship finals against Romania on Friday with the country plunged into strike chaos but among favorites to win the trophy.

France kicked off Euro 2016 festivities with a huge open-air concert at the Eiffel Tower Thursday, as President Francois Hollande vowed the event would run smoothly despite ongoing strikes and looming terror attack fears.

The three-day sale of memorabilia belonging to world football icon Pele ended in London on Thursday with the artifacts sold for the princely total of £3.4million ($5million, 4.4million euros).