Season 01/02 - May

Riots follow Feyenoord's success - 09/05/2002

Source: AP

At least 80 Feyenoord soccer fans were arrested for rioting after their team beat Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Cup final.

Hundreds of fans clashed with police just hours after the local side secured its first European trophy in 28 years with a 3-2 victory over Dortmund on Thursday night.

The riots began after trouble makers moved from the Feyenoord stadium to the Coolsingel in the city center, the traditional spot for championship celebrations.

Shortly after midnight, hooligans clashed with riot police after they started throwing bricks and bottles, destroying dozens of car and shop windows.

Police used clubs and water canons against the rioters at three sites across the city, an operation that took more than three hours.

The game went ahead despite public outrage over Monday's assassination of populist politician Pim Fortuyn at Hilversum.

City authorities in Rotterdam, a Fortuyn stronghold, had considered calling off the game. But they eventually decided to let the game go ahead with considerably toned-down festivities.

Millwall FC - Birmingham City - Play off - 03/05/2002

Source: BBC

Four charged over Millwall violence

47 police were injured in Thursday night's trouble

Four men have been charged following the "ferocious" violence after Thursday's Millwall game, in which 47 officers were injured.
The trouble, involving between 600 and 900 Millwall fans, followed the club's bitter Division One play-off defeat by Birmingham City.

Police are considering suing the south London football club for damages after the "vicious" violence in which they came under a barrage of missiles for more than an hour.

However, club chairman Theo Paphitis said Millwall itself could not be blamed for the actions of a "mindless minority".

"Where incidents occur away from the Den we do of course feel a moral responsibility," Mr Paphitis said.

24 police horses were also injured

"But the problem of mob violence is not solely a Millwall problem, it is not a football problem, it is a problem which plagues the whole of our society."

Three of the men have been charged with public order offences.

They are: James Gavin Mullen, 19, of St Francis Avenue, Gravesend in Kent; Mark Bellchambers, 21, of Bradley Road, Enfield, north London, and John Cornelius Parker, 18, of Beldan Hall, Hallstead in Kent.

Mr Mullen and Mr Parker were bailed to appear before Greenwich magistrates on Wednesday, while Mr Bellchambers was bailed to re-appear at an east London police station at a date to be fixed.

'Unbelievable'

Police also said Nigel Simon Haywood, 22, of Corser Street, Dudley, West Midlands was charged with breach of a banning order. He appeared before Greenwich magistrates on Friday.

A 25-year-old man and a 22-year-old man arrested outside the ground were warned for drunkenness, and a 40-year-old man was released with no further action, police said.

During the hour of violence crowds threw missiles, including bricks, paving stones, a chisel, flares and fireworks at police. Two cars were set alight.

Chief Superintendent Mike Humphrey said: "This is my seventh season as commander for Millwall and this is the worst yet."

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said out of 36 mounted police officers, 24 were injured, and so were 24 horses.

She said one whole 21-strong unit of riot police was injured.

Nine of the injured were treated in hospital for injuries including a broken leg, arm and foot.

Lifetime ban

Sergeant Russell Lamb said the situation was "like a battlefield" and the most frightening he had been in.

"I have done the poll tax and May Day riots and Wapping in the 1980s and I am in no doubt that it was one of the most unbelievable and violent situations I have been in."

Millwall president Reg Burr vowed that any troublemakers would get a lifetime ban.

"We will do anything we can to identify any troublemakers and the appropriate action will be taken - we will ban them for life," he said.

Police warned they had video footage of the disturbances and expected to make a significant number of arrests.

They said some of the violence must have been premeditated, as weapons had been stashed away ahead of the match.

Cardiff City - Stoke City - Play-off - 01/05/2002

Source: a local newspaper + BBC

Five people have already been arrested after around 600 angry Cardiff fans gathered outside the stadium as 800 visiting Stoke fans left to make their way home to the Midlands.
But it looks like the club will escape Football Association of Wales disciplinary action over the incidents. Three police officers needed hospital treatment following the disturbance while a number of others suffered minor injuries.
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Five people were arrested as trouble erupted after Cardiff lost in the Division Two play-off match.
Around 600 Cardiff fans gathered outside their Ninian Park stadium after the match as 800 Stoke fans were leaving. Three police officers needed hospital treatment following the disturbance while a number of others suffered minor injuries. Officers using batons struggled to keep the two sets of fans apart as missiles - including stones, bottles and fence posts - were thrown from the Cardiff side.

Real Madrid - FC Barcelona - Champions League - 01/05/2002

Source: TV

Prior to the game, local Ultras Sur have attacked police forces, using several missiles.

Calls for action on Spain's hooligans - 03/05/2002

Source: Reuters

Spain's Interior Minister Mariano Rajoy has said he will call upon the country's professional football clubs to take action to prevent hooligans from entering stadiums across the country. 'We will be meeting with the Professional Football League (LFP) to try and bring a halt to these outrages,' Rajoy told reporters after Friday's meeting of the Spanish cabinet. The minister's remarks were prompted by incidents involving radical fans from Real Madrid in the hours before Wednesday's Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. The fans, known as the Ultra Sur, attacked and insulted journalists and police who had gathered in the area near the stadium prior to the game. The incidents took place immediately after a car bomb had exploded close to the stadium in an attack which was claimed by the Basque separatist group ETA. 'We must prevent innocent people who are doing their work from being attacked by these hooligans,' said Rajoy. Photographers from Spanish and international media boycotted Real Madrid's recent league match against Tenerife because of incidents involving the Ultra Sur. The photographers have complained for some time at having objects hurled at them and being spat upon by the fans who occupy one end of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Last month, Real were fined 120,000 Swiss Francs ($72,200) by UEFA after their fans threw missiles in their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. Bayern captain Stefan Effenberg was struck on the head by a plastic cigarette lighter as he prepared to take a corner. The rising number of disturbances involving fans both inside and outside grounds at Spanish league matches has sparked increasing concern about security measures at the country's football stadiums.

Fans furious at stumbling Spartak Moscow - 04/05/2002

Source: Reuters

Russian champions Spartak Moscow have suffered their third consecutive defeat, slumping to a shock 2-0 home loss to premier league newcomers Uralan Elista.
After the match, hundreds of Spartak supporters surrounded the team bus, yelling 'shame on you' at the players.

Glasgow Rangers - Celtic Glasgow - Cup final - 04/05/2002

Source: english newspapers and Reuters

Typical Old Firm cup final, usual stabbings and slashings, around 25 arrests were made.
One witness said "I saw one gut with terrible head injuries. Blood was pouring from him. It was disgusting, it made me sick. The usual skirmishes before and after the game were reported as well. More photos and reports to follow. Belfast sen a lot of violence, because of the results, with para militaries firing into crowds.



Belfast soccer riot leaves 28 police, 50 civilians hurt

A total of 28 police officers and 50 civilians were hurt in a clash here between nationalists and unionists following a soccer match in Glasgow, according to a police toll issued Sunday.
The clash occurred Saturday when Glasgow Rangers, mostly supported by Protestants, and Catholic-backed Glasgow Celtic, faced each other in the Scottish Cup final, which Rangers won. Police and troops moved in to separate the rival factions and a spokeswoman said a number of plastic baton rounds were fired.
Petrol bombs and fireworks were thrown and one police officer was struck on the head by a breeze block thrown from the roof of a shop. One policeman was being treated Sunday for a fractured skull while others suffered various fractures and cuts, police said.

Xerez - Salamanca - 04/05/2002

Source: spanish newspapers

Local fans tried to attack the referee and several missiles were threw into the pitch. Damages were also caused in the city centre.

Villareal - Real Zaragoza - 05/05/2002

Source: Reuters

Players from Real Zaragoza were involved in scuffles with fans after their team was relegated from the first division following a 2-1 defeat at Villarreal on Sunday.
Television pictures showed Paraguayan international Roberto 'Toro' Acuna, goalkeeper Cesar Lainez and Yugoslav striker Savo Milosevic coming to blows with travelling Zaragoza fans who had invaded the pitch following their side's defeat. Martin Palermo gave fellow strugglers Villarreal an early lead when he headed in at the far post after just nine minutes and defender Rodolfo Arruabarrena extended the lead with another fine header midway through the half. A desperate Zaragoza pulled a goal back when Milosevic scored from the penalty spot on 67 minutes, but they were powerless to avoid the defeat that means they drop out of the top flight for the first time in 24 years. The win meant that Villarreal are guaranteed another season of first division football. Tenerife clawed their way off the bottom of the table with a 1-0 win at Las Palmas to keep alive their faint hopes of survival. Following Zaragoza's defeat, Real Mallorca, Las Palmas and Tenerife are now the three candidates for the remaining two relegation slots.

NEC Nijmegen - Ajax Amsterdam - 05/05/2002

Source: A fans website

Saturday evening a group of +- 100 F-siders travelled to Nijmegen. A small group of Ajax hoolies were attacked while in a pub. Later fights did occur again in Nijmegen city centre. A small group of youths steamed into the F-side group (running toward the pub which was now surrounded by police), they got beaten although it seems that they were actually running from police. Sorry 'bout that boys. All in all it was a bit of a chaotic night. In the morning, Nijmegen was completely sealed off as many Ajaxfans were expected without tickets as only 600 were available for Ajaxfans. Most of the group that had arrived the day before went back in the morning to watch the match in Amsterdam. After Ajax had won the match Ajaxfans took control of the Leidsesquare (the usual venue for championship celebrations, although this year the official celebration with the team was in Southeast Amsterdam near the arena stadium. The fanatics had decided to boycot this party and build their own in the citycentre). It was fun, but did end with riots. Normally no problem, but now we wanted to show that we ARE indeed true Ajaxfans, and that we were completely right demanding a party at Leidsesquare. Now people will be pointing the finger again. During the afternoon several busstops were demolished and fans started fighting each other here and there. Riot police vans were bricked and teargas came flying through the air. The party later continued at Rembrandtssquare. Minor fights there, no big deal.

Violence mars Olympiakos title joy - 08/05/2002

Source: Reuters

Fans and police clashed and marring Olympiakos Piraeus's celebrations after they won their sixth consecutive Greek league title. Three police officers were injured and five supporters detained, police said. Some 6,000 supporters travelled to Athens airport to greet the team returning from the 5-1 win over Aris Salonika that sealed the championship. Violence started when fans insisted on being allowed on to the tarmac where the plane had taxied to a halt, police told Reuters. Airport officials denied them access and the supporters responded with sticks and bottles, prompting police to use tear gas.

Red Star Belgrade - Vojvodina Novi Sad - Cup - 08/05/2002

Source: mail

On 8th May, Red Star Belgrade played in Novi Sad against Vojvodina in semi-final Cup match. Around 5-6.000 of Delije, Red Star supporters traveled in this, second to Belgrade biggest city in Serbia to support their team. Among them, mob of about 300 hard-core fans.
Prior to match, there were some minor clashes with Red Firm and The Firm (Vojvodina's fans) in downtown, but that was nothing compare with the riots vs. police at the stadium.
Troubles with police started when they refused to give permit for sticks, that Delije have planned to use in their choreography at the stadium. Since this was happening only 20 minutes before match, Red Star supporters entered their terrace with the rest of choreography, but hard-core fans tried to leave stadium at the half time. Idea was to bring in the above-mentioned sticks for flags, but police closed the gates and refused them once again.
And then.. trouble started with ordinary police that have been present on a terrace, and minute later - with anti-riot police. In about two-minute clash (which presents how big riots were, when you know that every riot that last longer then 30 secs is a good riot) Delije used fireworks against police, and hurt (burned) some of them, including (still) unknown number of police that were "casualties of ordinary fight". Police forces that were in front of Northern terrace tried to use their batons too (through the fence), but other parts of Delije used some personal tear-gas to defend. Things settled down suddenly, when police moved away from hard-core fans, in upper parts of terrace. Meanwhile, two members of Delije entered Eastern terrace where stood Red Firm and their friends, Partizan's fans group from Novi Sad. Good fight started, but even those two guys were pretty drunk, they stood well and fought until police finally came one minute later, and arrested them. How did they escape from police's hands noone known for sure, 'cause after match they've been seen drinking again and again. After match, there were small fights in the city again (3-on-3, 10-on-5 and max. 20-20), but in one of them, "Brigate" (one of groups that is in Delije organization) encounter Partizan's fans who live in Novi Sad. In small-riot, "gravediggers" run away, but one of them, while he was laying on the ground, beaten - pulled out his knife and stabbed two of Brigate members. They are in stabile condition now, although one of them had to be put on operation-table, where his spleen was moved out.

Clashes as Spartak end losing streak - 08/05/2002

Source: Reuters

Russian champions Spartak Moscow came from behind to score a controversial 2-1 win at Saturn Ramenskoye on Wednesday, halting their three-game losing streak.
Spartak coach Oleg Romantsev required medical attention after he was hit on the head with a water bottle by angry Saturn fans, who threw plastic chairs and rubbish is on to the pitch in protest over a controversial penalty against their team. Russian news agency RIA reported that Spartak fans, regarded as the most violent in the country, also clashed with police. No injuries were reported.

Hungary - Croatia - 08/05/2002

Source: AFP

Several incidents took place on the friendly match between Croatia and Hungary. Most Croatian fans
arrived at Pecs in the morning on match day, and dispersed around the city in groups, some in search of alcohol, and some in search of incidents. A large-scale clash took place on the road leading up to
the stadium when a large group of Croatian fans attacked a group of home fans, some which got away, while others got their share. The result of that and other incidents throughout the city could be easily seen on the stadium, where Croatian fans (some five hundred in total) displayed numerous confiscated Hungarian flags. Towards the end of the first half, Croatian fans attempted to invade the pitch, which prompted the referee to request a police intervention.
Hungarian special police quickly entered the stand containing the Croatian fans and begun to deal out blows indiscriminately. Croatian fans were slowly backing up, until they reached a position where the entire special police squadron was assembled in a group on the stairs below them on the stand. The Croats then begun a counter attack, and the police withdrew. The confrontation ended soon, so that the section of the stand which the referee ordered to be emptied was left full of Croatian fans.

Feyenoord Rotterdam - Borussia Dortmund - 08/05/2002

Source: CNN

Mounted police and officers with dogs charged dozens of fans after they were attacked with paving stones and bottles. Police said 91 people were arrested, mainly for minor public order offences, but no officers were injured in the clashes early on Thursday morning. Tension was already high in the city after the assassination of Pim Fortuyn, the country's right-wing anti-immigration politician who lived in the city. Around 1,500 police were patrolling the streets for the game in the De Kuip stadium against Germany's Borussia Dortmund. Ecstatic fans initially celebrated peacefully inside the stadium letting off firecrackers and flares. As the Dutch party spilled out of the stadium and into Rotterdam city centre fans, faces painted red and white, bathed in a fountain in the main square. Police kept rival fans apart as they left the ground but it is not clear how the party celebrating Feyenoord's 3-2 win turned to violence. Despite the country being in mourning for Fortuyn -- a death which has angered many in The Netherlands including those who despised his politics -- suggestions to postpone the UEFA final were muted. City officials, who decided to go ahead with the match, had imposed a 12-hour alcohol ban starting mid-afternoon on Wednesday. But Feyenoord victory party was restricted to inside the stadium with plans to have a parade at Rotterdam town hall cancelled.

Spain to investigate football violence - 09/05/2002

Source: Reuters

Spain's Interior Minister Mariano Rajoy says he will be setting up a new working party to look at ways of strengthening measures against the violence that has hit Spanish football in recent months.
'The group, which will produce a report by July 31, will examine a series of possible new measures to help us fight violence in sport,' Rajoy told reporters on Thursday after a meeting with the country's football authorities. Among the measures to be studied by the group is the introduction of a scheme similar to that already in existence in the United Kingdom, where known football hooligans are required to report to police stations during matches. The Minister said the group will also look into ways of strengthening the regulations against the display of racist or violent symbols and banners at matches as well as ensuring the effective operation of a single coordinating centre to deal with violence in sport. 'We reaffirm our commitment to tackle the problem of violence in sport using the full range of legal instruments at our disposal...and ensuring that when the time comes we use the toughest possible sanctions.' The minister's decision to meet football authorities was prompted by the recent upsurge of violent incidents at Spanish football matches. Incidents in which Real Madrid's radical group of fans, the Ultra Sur, attacked police and journalists before last week's Champions League semifinal against Barcelona where followed by serious disturbances in a number of league matches at the weekend. The first division match at Villarreal, which ended in defeat and relegation for visiting side Real Zaragoza, was followed by a pitch invasion in which several players became involved in fights with fans. The second division relegation duel between Gimnastic Tarragona and Ejido was also marred by crowd trouble which resulted in one player needing four stitches to a head wound after supporters showered the pitch with objects.

FC Utrecht - Ajax Amsterdam - Cup final - 12/05/2002

Source: a local newspaper

The Ajax players have been cheered and have left. The fireworks that gave the Leidsesquare a red glow has extinguished. It's over. But the speaker on the balcony has a bad feeling about it: "Go home. We'll show them in Amsterdam, how we build a party"
Shortly after, the riot squad makes a first charge, horses run over the Leidsesquare and stones, bottles en cans fly through the air. Between the American and Marriot hotel, bricks are being taken out of the ground. For the second time in eight days, the leidsesquare has become a pandamonium. At liberation day it was because a group of stubborn supporters refused to celebrate the championship near the Arena, yesterday the winning of the Amstel Cup was the reason. One riot squad officer is lightly wounded, twenty rioters are arrested.
The pubs Reijnders, Hoopman, De Oesterbar, Hole in the Wall and the Sports Café have been nailed shut. The iron spikes on the tram-stops which have been welded on after last week, prevent them form being mounted. At 5:30 it al starts out festively. Thousands of fans have gathered on the Leidsesquare. Many children, many flags and scarves, boys hanging in streetlanterns. Ambulance personel let the car rock along to the music. Just like last week, some sort of F-side order service comes into action when rioters break the unwritten laws. Two boys who break the glass out of a tramstop at the Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen are corrected the hard way. "Don't demolish, don't demolish"
When a large group of rioters is bricking the riotsquad, who are stadning near Paradiso, a few dozen jump between the lines. To force the rioters back with pushing and pulling, and later also with punching and kicking. The riotsquad commander through walkie talkie "Put on your gasmasks or bring them along. We give some room to the good willing group but go in hard when they don't succeed. Mind that you hit the right ones hard when it comes, and try to spare the ones that mean no harm"
These nuances are nowhere to be seen of course, when the charges really commence. Mounted riot police galop through Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen and Leidsekruisstraat. One is hardhandedly pushed into a van by the arrestation unit. between three boys who are trying to roll a joint near the palladium, a girl says "This is ridiculous. This has nothing to do with football!" Glassy looks are her part. At the balie a boy is making a phonecall "Where are you?" he shouts in his cellphone. "I'm in the middle of it. Have you got beaten already?"
Exactly the same sceanrio as last week in the surrounding area of Leidsesquare/ Charges and a lot of water from the watercannons. Riot-police lines block the entrances of the square and try to force the crowd to the Mariott hotel at the Stadhouderskade. After a two hour cat and mouse game, the Leidse neighbourhood is full of bricks and trash. here and there whole rows of streetstones have been removed. Next to one of the stands at the Leidsebosje even three whole rows have dissapeared - the contents of the shop are on the bridge, in pieces. The battle for the bridge before the American Hotel takes a long time. A boy with backpack, blue baseball cap and Ajax scarf in fornt of his face does not let the water from the watercannon get to him en keeps throwing bricks. In the end, mounted riot police chase the rioters away. A woman walks along the lines, crying.
After that, the riots move to the Vondelpark, where supporters start fighting each other. Riot police makes a charge in the park. Odd enough, supporters are driven back to the Leidsesquare. Personel of the Lido, dressed in tidy black and white, cheer and applaud when riot police pushes the supporters back.
"Come outside then motherfuckers!" a wet rioter shouts.
At the Leidsesquare no new confrontations take place. The supporters are getting tired, although one can still shout "shit riot police". They are taking it easy in their vans. This seems to be strategy. The command vehicle reports 'no big riots are to expected anymore'. Just pretend it's over.
And what do you know? The supporters go away. A few moments later two skeelers have trouble evading the bricks and trash. When the 'brickbrigade' of the city c,eaning service quickly cleans up the mess, al is as it used to be. A riot police officer is having his wounds treated in an ambulance. Another party is over.

Cardiff City - Swansea City - FAW Premier cupfinal - 12/05/2002

Source: BBC

News Around 20 Swansea City fans were arrested in Cardiff ahead of the FAW Premier Cup final clash between the two clubs. More disturbances followed Cardiff City's 1-0 victory, as police on horseback charged Swansea fans who hurled bricks and bottles at Bluebirds supporters. Several groups of fans tore down dividing fences but were forced back to their coaches by officers. Earlier on Monday afternoon, 20 supporters were arrested and taken to police stations across the capital after a planned police crackdown in the centre of the city. They were arrested by South Wales Police amid fears of violent clashes at the 1855BST match at Cardiff's Ninian Park ground.
Police launched the operation in St Mary Street. Bluebirds' owner Sam Hammam had hired 25 coaches to bring 1,500 Swans fans to his ground at a cost of £10,000. Over 5,000 fans turned out for the Welsh derby clash. But a sting was launched right in the middle of the city - over a mile from the home side's stadium. Inspector Tony Bishop of South Wales Police said: "As a result of an intelligence-led police operation, South Wales Police stopped a number of men in the St Mary Street and High Street area. "As a result of searching those men, 20 were arrested for alleged breach of the peace.

Disperse trouble

"Essentially the arrests are a preventative measure and there has been no trouble at all so far." Police were detaining the group until after the final whistle. Police had attended to the area, which is home to many bars, and later dispersed. A police spokesperson later said the Swansea fans arrested had not committed any crime, but were being held under special powers to prevent breach of the peace. The winner of the cup stands to gain a £100,000 cash prize from the Football Association of Wales.

Norwich City - Birmingham City - Play-off - 12/05/2002

Source: BBC

A policeman suffered head injuries after a fight in a night-club involving more than 100 Birmingham fans. The supporters were staying in Weston-Super-Mare ahead of the First Division play-off final in Cardiff when trouble erupted inside the club. After police were called, one officer was knocked unconscious when he was hit on the head by a flying bottle. Police described the incident as "one of the worst scenes they had seen for some time" and called in extra officers from five surrounding districts to cope with the disorder. The night-club was eventually cleared but there were further outbreaks of violence in the area for the next couple of hours.

Thirty CSKA fans released - 13/05/2002

Source: Pravda

Thirty fans of the CSKA football club who were arrested the day before for disorderly conduct, have been released. According to officials of the Arbatskoye police station, "the detainees have been released following the drawing up of all relevant protocols." According to the local police officer, a group of youngsters aged from 16 to 22 have broken the front window of the Macdonald's fast food restaurant located in Arbat street. Further on, the group moved to the Garden Ring where the police arrested them. Complicity of young radicals, so-called skinheads, in the incident is unlikely, the police officer added. "Intoxicated by alcoholic beverages and the victory of their favourite team the young men gave vent to their emotions and energy. As a result, they ended up in a police station," RIA Novosti's source concluded. The day before Moscow football club CSKA has defeated Zenit from St. Petersburg 2:0 and became the winner of the Football Cup of Russia.

Fans, police clash amid Real Madrid party - 16/05/2002

Source: Reuters

Riot police fired rubber bullets to disperse stone-throwing Real Madrid fans as hundreds of thousands of people packed the centre of the Spanish capital to hail the team's record ninth European Cup triumph on Wednesday. Baton-wielding police charged fans who rained stones and bottles on them near the Cibeles fountain in central Madrid, where Real supporters traditionally celebrate the team's successes, witnesses said. Some 30 people, including two police officers, were injured and eight fans arrested, a police spokesman said. Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the final at Glasgow's Hampden Park was met with an explosion of celebrations in the Spanish capital. Car horns blared and fireworks lit the night sky as thousands of jubilant fans streamed into the city centre to toast the win. But the mood soon soured as groups of fans began hurling rocks, bottles and other debris at thousands of riot police, who were trying to prevent a repetition of the violent disturbances that greeted Real's Champions League victories in 1998 and 2000.
Some fans uprooted litter bins to throw.
Police responded by firing volleys of rubber bullets and charging fans, who taunted them by chanting 'champions' at them. Spanish television showed police examining what appeared to be two bullet holes on the back door of a police van. Several ambulances, sirens blaring, evacuated injured people from the centre, where some streets were littered with broken glass. At least one car had its windscreen broken. Police gradually forced fans out of the centre but scattered clashes continued into the early hours. Victory for Real came in the club's centenary season thanks to goals from Raul and Zinedine Zidane. Fans were determined to celebrate on the feast day of San Isidro, Madrid's patron saint, and bars were packed with happy fans. 'You've just got to celebrate a win like this,' said Jaime, a 21-year-old student who was among the Cibeles crowd. 'When Real Madrid win a title everyone comes down to celebrate.' Francisco Rodriguez, a 29-year-old computer worker in the crowd, paid tribute to the two goalscorers. 'We played brilliantly,' he shouted. 'Our team has the best players in the world, people like Raul and Zidane. This is the first time I've come down to celebrate.'

Preussen Munster - Rot Weiss Essen - 18/05/2002

Source: a fans website

Last play day in the League. Essen can go to the second league. But they create it not and are very bad. 8000 Essener against 2000 Münster. There are 350 policemen and 150 stewards locally. Too less. Essen storms in the 90 minute the field. They destroy 10 busses. They fight against two players from Münster. Three injured policeman . Riots during the night. A policeman is thrown from the driving course. He remained in hospital.

Two killed in clash between rival soccer fans in Colombia - 20/05/2002

Source: AP

Fans of two Colombian soccer teams fought with guns and knives along a highway early Monday, killing two people and injuring 12 others. Authorities said the melee took place before dawn in northwest Antioquia state after a game Sunday between Medellin's Atletico Nacional team and visiting America of Cali. The fight broke out when buses carrying fans of both teams came to a halt at a narrow bridge in the Antioquia town of Cisneros, about 30 miles from Medellin. "There was a confrontation between the fans with firearms, knives and other objects," state police commander Col. Pedro Antonio Molano told local RCN radio. Earlier Monday, scuffles between fans outside the Medellin stadium where the game took place left 30 people with scrapes and bruises and 60 under arrest.

One killed after football fans clash - 29/05/2002

Source: Persian League

A 20-year-old boy was killed in the southern city of Masjed Soleyman in Khuzestan province on Tuesday night after a pitched battle broke out between the fans of two major football teams of capital Tehran. Arash Mehri Dehno died after being stabbed in the chest during clashes between fans of Esteqlal and Pirouzi teams. Police have arrested one person, suspected of the murder and are looking for another who is on the run. The clash broke out after Pirouzi, better known as the Reds, lifted the trophy of Iran's pro league by one-point advantage against its arch-rival Esteqlal.

Arrested fans face detention on 'prison' ferry - 30/05/2002

Source: REÜTERS

England fans caught up in trouble at next week's match with Argentina may be placed under armed guard on a ferry turned detention centre. Japanese immigration officials have hired a ship called the Sun Flower Tomakomai to transport alleged troublemakers from the northern city Sapporo to Tokyo, according to reports. The ship will be on stand-by off the island Hokkaido and could take 630 people on a 20-hour voyage to a detention centre in Ushiku, a suburb of Tokyo. Decisions would be made there whether supporters would be deported or could face charges. Some 7,000 police are expected to be on duty for the match between the old rivals on the evening of June 7. It will be England's second match in group F after their opening fixture this Sunday against Sweden in Saitama, just outside Tokyo.