French Police have confirmed the news that a Northern Ireland fan has died in France following a suspected fall. There are conflicting reports this morning but it would appear that the incident occurred on Saturday night, hours before Northern Ireland's 1-0 defeat to Poland on Sunday. It is believed that the 25 year old individual fell off a promenade onto a rocky beach.
According to BBC News, Superintendent Nigel Goddard who is heading up the PSNI's team in France during the tournament has said that he has been informed that the man's death was a tragic accident and was in no way related to the crowd trouble that has marred the first week of the tournament in the south of the country over the past few days.
According to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for French police has confirmed that the incident occurred on Saturday night. 'Many fans were out on the promenade, and were drinking heavily when the man fell from the promenade. The victim was taken to Nice hospital but has since died'.
UPDATE: The fan in question has now been named as 25 year old Darren Rodgers from Ballymena.
Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis has passed on his condolences to the young man's friends and family.
So sad to wake up to the tragic news that a Northern Ireland fan has died in Nice, thoughts with his family and friends.
— Steven Davis MBE (@StevenDavis8) June 13, 2016
