France Ties England Amid Heavy Security and Concerns of Racist Behavior Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters English fans warmed up for their Euro 2012 match against France. DONETSK, Ukraine - England and France tied, 1-1, Monday at the European soccer championships as concerns about racist behavior continued to accompany anticipation of the matches. An anti-discrimination group that is monitoring each game, called Football Against Racism in Europe, or FARE, will not issue its report on England-France until Tuesday. And it was not immediately clear if the players received any racial taunting. But interviews with fans of both teams attending the match at Donbass Arena said they had generally been treated well so far in the host countries. "Some Ukrainian fans picked us up and gave us a ride to the stadium because we couldn't find it," said Andy Umar, 38, an England fan who flew in for the match from Jakarta, Indonesia. Thirty minutes into the game, England fans celebrated as midfielder Steven Gerrard, the team captain, curled a brilliant free kick onto the head of Joleon Lescott for a 1-0 lead. It was a validating moment for a team suffering from injury and the suspension for two games of its top forward, Wayne Rooney. On a day of blistering heat, Samir Nasri tied the score for France in the 39th minute with a low shot that dived inside the left post. Les Bleus extended their unbeaten streak to 22 matches. It was an encouraging Euro 2012 debut for a team that mutinied against its former coach, Raymond Domenech, in an execrable performance at the 2010 World Cup. And the goal provided a bit of redemption for Nasri, who was left off that World Cup team. Despite the entertaining soccer, not all fans were sanguine. Haroon Cassim, 28, of London, said that he and his friends were returning home Wednesday instead of staying through Saturday as planned. "Taxis don't stop for us, no one wants to wait on us," said Cassim, who is of Indian descent. It's the worst feeling. People stare and giggle, as if you are being mocked. The England-France match was seen as a potential flash point, given that the teams are among the most racially and ethnically diverse among the 16 participating nations. There were several highly publicized incidents of abusive behavior in the form of monkey chants made toward black players during the opening days of play in Poland, a co-host with Ukraine. Racism occurs at soccer matches in Western European countries like England, Spain and Italy, but it has been more frequent at games in Eastern Europe. Concerns at Euro 2012 were heightened by a recent BBC documentary that showed anti-Semitic behavior, Nazi salutes, monkey chants and the beating of Asian students at league matches in the host countries. The families of two English players, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, said they would most likely not attend the tournament for fear or racial insensitivity or violence. Black and Asian fans of England were urged to be on alert by British officials. Polish and Ukrainians officials criticized the BBC report as exaggerated and unfair. "There is no racism in Ukraine," Oleg Blokhin, Ukraine's coach, said Sunday. It was a statement perhaps more hopeful than accurate. Yet a group of medical students from India attending medical school in Ukraine, and cheering for both teams Monday, said the treatment of foreigners had noticeably improved with increased security in the run-up to the European championships. "They used to beat foreigners up every weekend, in shopping malls and other places," said Krishna Kalyan, 21, a medical student living in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. It is better now. There is more security. Madou Coulibaly, 28, a French fan from Paris, said, "Because I am black, everyone is looking at me and wants to take pictures, but it is not aggressive or mean." The police and security presence was heavy at Monday's match, as is customary at major sporting events. Yet, one thing that might temper English concerns about racism is that only 3,000 to 5,000 of its fans are expected to attend each of the country's Euro 2012 matches. Many fly in on charters the day of the match and fly home afterward. And there appeared to be many fewer French fans than English ones present Monday.