Season 01/02 - April

SK Lommel - FC Bruges - 01/04/2002

Source: a Bruges fans website

Although the Lommel crew have no real reputation for being a naughty bunch (they never ever brought a firm away from their homeground), they managed to give us good times surrounding earlier fixtures. More recently they had a good go with the Genkies Ultra firm, when they appeared at the home-pub a few weeks prior to our confrontation. One year earlier they even managed to slap the Genk firm out of the city centre… a decent result. Up to sixty to seventy B.C.F. lads mobbed-up in small village not far away from Lommel. After a few hours of drinking, a cheering session after Standard took the lead against Genk and a small fight with locals, the mob headed towards the Lommel city centre where the cars were parked in a pre-spotted area. When marching through the centre and past the “Green Lions” pub it became clear the small amount of local fighters had already left for the ground. After the game, our tidy firm of about 80 geezers were escorted by local Bill. While being led round the city centre, some 15 of our lot managed to sneak away into the centre square. With only a small contingent of policemen present (most of them were mounted forces) the small Bruges mob saw their change and charged towards the Lommel pub, where a short but intense toe-to-toe fight broke out. Though heavy outnumbered (15 vs half a century) the Lommel lads didn’t manage to cut through the Bruges opposition and mounted policeforces where called in shot to disperse both groups. At the moment that the dozen B.C.F lads were trying to push the Plod back by trowing bycicles and chairs, the main bulk of the firm arrived and it took the local law enforcement some hassle to calm things down. One of the Bruges geezers involved in the fighting was arrested but freed only 2 hours later. All by all a good night out with Bruges winning and claiming back their top of the league status. Also a big fair-play cheer to the locals, who wanted it the old-skool way and left the bottles and glasses out of the action (for once).

Leamington - Rugby Town - 01/04/2002

Source: BBC

A dozen supporters were ejected from the match after trouble broke out soon after kick-off.

Grimsby Town - Sheffield Wednesday - 01/04/2002

Source: a local newspaper + BBC

Football fans went on the rampage in Cleethorpes following the relegation battle between Grimsby Town and Sheffield Wednesday. Scores of police officers, some wearing body armour, were drafted in yesterday as a series of flare-ups escalated into scenes of violence close to the resort's train station. Tourists enjoying the bank holiday break in Cleethorpes looked on in disbelief, as alcohol-fuelled thugs from Sheffield threw missiles and hurled abuse at police officers, police dogs and officers on horseback. At one point a policeman and a fan fell onto the track after a scuffle on the platform. In all 17 arrests were made for general public disorder offences. The ugly scenes followed the 0-0 draw, after which a large section of Grimsby Road was closed off to prevent rival fans clashing. Supporters of both teams were locked up. Following the match Sheffield Wednesday fans congregated outside The Submarine pub on Sea Road. Eight officers on horseback accompanied by scores of police officers on foot supervised the supporters and separated them from rival fans. On several occasions officers chased smaller groups who broke away from the crowd as they ran towards the town centre. "Initially there were some serious disturbances in the centre of Cleethorpes which were contained and managed by officers who were working the match. Additional resources were called in from other parts of the force to support police officers as there was the potential for further violence."
Most of the visiting fans who headed for Cleethorpes boarded the 7.15pm train back to Sheffield. Chief Supt Sharp added: "Because of the behaviour of the Sheffield fans and the amount of alcohol they had consumed they were closely supervised from Sea Road to the railway station. "At the station there were sporadic incidents of disorder and arrests were made."
During this disorder police dogs were brought in and two fans were bitten. These two men were later arrested along with 15 other Sheffield Wednesday and Grimsby Town fans for general public disorder offences. Chief Supt White said: "Although at times there were difficult bouts to police, considering there was a capacity crowd, the majority of people seemed to have a very good day." Minor injuries were suffered by police officers, including one who had a bottle thrown at her. No one required medical treatment.
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Trouble in Cleethorpes after the match led to 17 arrests. Police came under attack from a hail of missiles from Sheffield Wednesday supporters. There were further outbreaks of disorder at the railway station and two fans were bitten by a police dog.

Nueva Chicago - Huracan - 02/04/2002

Source:

A Paraguayan man shot in the head by police after a soccer match remains in critical condition, Argentine doctors reported on Monday. The 18-year-old Raul Mendoza was seriously wounded on Sunday while leaving a soccer stadium in a Buenos Aires
suburb after Nueva Chicago beat Huracan 4-0 in a First Division match, the EFE news agency stated. "His life is still in danger. The bullet's trajectory caused significant damage to his brain," doctors at the Santaoyanni Hospital, where Mendoza was admitted Sunday night, told journalists. Mendoza's family attorney Adrian Gomez said two members of the federal police, identified as Andres Kallsten and Jose Galarza, have been accused of firing at Mendoza. "It's true there was a skirmish between hooligans, but those two policemen used their regulation pistols, not the shotguns with rubber bullets they should have used," Gomez told the local Rivadavia radio station. Gomez said the two policemen, who were arrested on Monday
and taken before Judge Roberto Muratore, were identified by several witnesses among the Nueva Chicago and Huracan
fans at the match. Witnesses says that a group of Nueva Chicago fans waited for Huracan supporers about outside the stadium and attacked them with rocks and sticks, which led to a street fight that called for police intervention.
The violence inside and outside Argentina's soccer stadiums has left five people dead and dozens wounded so
far this year, from fights between rival hooligan groups or police repression. Another young man was killed by gunfire at a soccer match in Argentina this weekend during a clash between hooligans from two Second Division clubs.

Panathinaikos and Olympiakos punished for violent derby - 04/04/2002

Source: AFP

A special sports judge Thursday punished Panathinaikos and Olympiakos for violent actions which occurred after their Greek first division derby March 24 which ended 1-1. Panathinaikos, which was the home team, was ordered by the judge to play its next four home matches in the Greek championship without spectators. A fine of 87,000 euro was also handed down to the Athens club which on Wednesday beat Barcelona 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg match at the same Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium where the violent domestic match was played.
Panathinaikos club president Angelos Filippidis was banned by the judge from conducting his duties for one year and from entering soccer stadiums for 18 months for charging at the referee of the match who left the pitch with a bloodied face from blows he received from unknown persons. Panathinaikos coach Sergio Marcarian was also banned from domestic pitches for 40 days as he too charged at referee Makis Efthymiadis and exchanged words with him. Two of Marcarian's assistants, Christos Karvounidis and Garbriel Molnar, were acquitted of any wrongdoing by the
judge. Olympiakos was fined 33,000 euro for violent acts caused by spectators of the Piraeus club and assistant coach Tasos Mitropoulos was banned from domestic pitches for six months because he got into scuffles with Panathinaikos officials and shouted profanities. Athens Prosecutor Ioannis Gizis has been appointed to investigate the beating of the referee and to prosecute individuals who stormed the pitch after the match. Meanwhile, athletics undersecretary Yiannis Kourakis said that "there appeared to be fixed matches in previous seasons and the buying off of referees as shown by journalistic research."
Piraeus prosecutor Antonis Liogas has called for an investigation into the allegations made in a television programme that matches in the first division and lower divisions were fixed allegedly with the assistance of referees who were paid by team officials. Tapes of telephone conversations were broadcast on the programme which reportedly showed referees and team officials rigging contests last season

Court delays Leeds fan murder verdict - 04/04/2002

Source: Reuters

A Turkish judge on Thursday delayed a verdict until May 1 in the trial of a group of men charged with involvement in the killings of two English soccer fans. The judge said he had adjourned proceedings to give a defence lawyer time to prepare a final defence. Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, fans of the English Premier League club Leeds United, were stabbed to death in street brawls in central Istanbul ahead of a UEFA Cup semi-final match against Turkish club Galatasaray in April 2000. The trial of men accused in the case has dragged on since then, moving forward at hearings often held months apart as is standard in Turkey. 'I have been ill, it's in the report. I would like a short extra period to prepare the written defence,' defence lawyer Fuat Akkoyunlu told a court packed with reporters and a British diplomatic observer. Lawyers representing the other defendants all submitted their concluding remarks and lawyers said there was little to prevent presiding Judge Iskender Tepebasi from issuing a final verdict when the court meets again. The Turkish state prosecutor has dropped his charges against 11 of the men originally charged for lack of evidence, but eight others could face jail when the verdicts are delivered. Two face homicide charges, which could carry up to 30 years in jail although remittance and other reductions mean few Turkish convicts ever serve out the whole of their sentences. Five others face accusations of involvement in fighting that resulted in death and another one faces charges of concealing evidence. Only one of the accused, Ali Umit Demir, is being held in jail. The others are free pending a verdict. Demir appeared in court on Thursday in a beige jacket surrounded by armed gendarmerie policemen. He made no comments. Defence lawyers have challenged the prosecution evidence, arguing drunken behaviour by the Leeds fans provoked the fighting. If the court accepts the accused were provoked, it could reduce any sentences considerably.

Betis stadium could be closed - 04/04/2002

Source: Europa Press

The Spanish government's anti-violence commission has called for Real Betis' Manuel Ruiz de Lopera stadium to be closed for a month following incidents at last month's local derby against Seville. Betis said on their website that the commission had called for the stadium closure after meeting in Madrid on Thursday. Before the start of the game, flares were thrown into a section of the ground containing Sevilla fans. There were also reports of Sevilla supporters ripping up seats ahead of the match. The anti-violence commission, which advises the Spanish government on security issues, also called for the club to be fined 90,500 euros. A spokesman for Betis told Spanish news agency Europa Press the club would appeal if the sanction is imposed.

Feyenoord fan trashed by 4 Italians - 05/04/2002

Source: Ansa

The 62-year-old Dutch fan, who was present in the UEFA Cup semifinal match between Inter FC and Feyenoord, was thrashed by four Italian fans, the ANSA news agency stated. The fan stated that these Italians looked like Inter supporters. The incident occurred yesterday. The Dutchman was walking near the stadium San Siro when "FIAT" car
approached him. They demanded from him to give the scarf with the emblem of Feyenoord but the Dutchman rejected. Then the Italians threw him on the ground and thrashed. The 62-year-old Feyenoord supporter was transferred to a hospital.

Millwall FC - Wolverhampton Wanderers - 05/04/2002

Source: BBC

The Wolves hooligan group (the "Subway Army") arrived in Paddington and were spotted by two police officers. Their coach was escorted to the Den. A huge policing operation (more than 300 officers) prevented the hooligan groups from clashing. Police were pelted with bricks, bottles and fireworks by Millwall fans attempting to get to the Wolves supporters.

High security measures for croatian derby - 06/04/2002

Source: AFP

High security measures have been prepared for Sunday's derby of Croatian first division when Hajduk Split host traditional rivals Dinamo Zagreb in 26th round. It has been expected up to 30.000 fans, but club officials also revealed hundreds of security guards will be ready as there were rumors of possible incidents. According to that any drunk person would not be allowed to enter Poljud Stadium Sunday afternoon. Both, Hajduk and Dinamo have 6 points less that leading Zagreb that host Sibenik Saturday.

Paris SG - FC Nantes - 06/04/2002

Source: a PSG fans forum

Four PSG fans were arrested. One of them had entered a firecracker inside the stadium.. Three others have provoked policemen. At the end of the game, many immigrates were also attacked and a car from the souht of France was set on fire.

Sedan - RC Lens - 06/04/2002

Source: Ultra Connection

One Lens supporters' bus, RED TIGERS, was attacked by young arabs, on arriving in Sedan. A fight errupted between both sides. After the game some skirmishes broke out between Sedan and Lens supporters.

AEK Athens - Aris Saloniki - 06/04/2002

Source: Reuters

Police detained 19 people after fans fought, started a fire in the stands, and threw seats on the field at a Greek League soccer game Sunday. There were no injuries reported at first-place AEK Athens' 3-0 victory over Aris in Thessaloniki. Two weeks ago, Panathinaikos fans rioted during a game and the referee was badly beaten.

FC Groningen - NEC Nijmegen - 07/04/2002

Source: a dutch fans website

A toe-to-toe erupted a the end of the game, opposing both rival fans. Policemen have to intervened to restore order. A group of about 100 NEC'ers was opposed to a large local group.

Fan attacks Coventry players - 07/04/2002

Source: an english football website

Police have arrested a football fan following an alleged attack on two Coventry City players during the team's 4-0 defeat at Preston North End, the Evening Standard reported. The 34-year-old man Coventry supporter was restrained by stewards after running on to the pitch at Preston's Deepdale ground. Police say the fan is alleged to have threatened City goalkeeper Magnus Hedman after his side conceded a fourth goal and Coventry player-manager Roland Nilsson when he tried to intervene. A police spokesman said: "Following the fourth goal being scored, a 34-year-old male from Nuneaton - thought to be a Coventry City supporter - ran on to the pitch and threatened the Coventry goalkeeper and attempted to punch him and another player who had intervened."
Nilsson later said: "It's not a comfortable situation. In one sense you feel for the fans. It was an important game.
"I know they are frustrated and everything, but there is no reason for anybody to come up on the pitch to do anything.
"Frustration has to stop when you get verbal abuse. That's the thing you have to take as a player, but I think that's where it stops as well."

Torino Calcio - FC Bologna - 07/04/2002

Source: Tifonet

Prior to the game, a group of +- 200 local ultras attacked the Bologna escort, especially the Mods group. Violent scuffles erupted between both sides. Five carabinieri were injured during scuffles, as a young fan, who was seriously wounded at his hand after Mods threw a firecreacker.

Inter Milan - Atalanta Bergamo - 07/04/2002

Source: Tifonet

Atalanta ultras fought with carabinieri and set fire at a car, outside the stadium.

Albanian refs give thugs red card - 09/04/2002

Source: AFP

Albanian referees are to boycott second division matches and delay the start of top division games by 10 minutes on Saturday in protest at crowd violence against the men in the middle and players. They have also threatened a boycott of all games if there is any repeat of the violence that erupted after a second division game between leaders Kastrioti and Naftetari on Sunday. 'In order to make public opinion aware of Sunday's violence, our association has decided that referees will not referee second division matches as a sign of protest,' the association said in a statement on Tuesday. Some 600 fans, apparently angry at what they saw as a biased performance by referee Lulezim Guzja, attacked and beat the officials and Naftetari players with sticks, stones and bottles. None of the visiting team was spared and they could have fared even worse if they had not been aided by the players from Kastrioti, who play in Kruje, 30 km (19 miles) north of Tirana. Local police could not contain the crowd and order was only restored by special forces from the nearby town of Durres. 'Soccer is entertainment, not a fight of gladiators,' Dashnor Dume, a veteran Naftetari player who is nursing a head wound, complained from his hospital bed. On Saturday, Faruk Sejdini, coach of first division leaders Dinamo Tirana, was hit by a glass bottle after his team's 3-2 away win over Tomorri of Berat.

Ajax Amsterdam - PSV Eindhoven - Cup - 10/04/2002

Source: a PSV fans forum

About 100 PSV lads were present for this day.We went togheter in a pub called 'the Grasshopper' near the red light district. 80 lads had tickets for the Ajax section.After a couple of hours some Liverpool lads did have a big mouth but after a few hits they run away. But the police did take this serious and arrested 41 PSV lads.The rest of the group left to Eindhoven to see the match there cause their were to little lads to go to the game. About 15 lads made the trip to the match, and after the game they did have a little action. But for the game 40 Ajax lads attacked 7 PSV lads in a little bus with glasses and other things, after some damageds they could leave.But we asked eachother that Ajax is a sneaky firm whole day we we`re in their city !! And then they attack 7 of us.

Real and Barça fined for incidents - 12/04/2002

Source: AFP

Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, due to meet in the Champions League semi-finals, have been fined on Friday after their supporters pelted the pitch with objects during this week's quarter-finals. Football's European governing body UEFA fined Barcelona 136,400 euros (120,000 dollars) for their fans' behaviour during the victory over Greek side Panathinaikos at the Nou Camp on Tuesday. The match referee was among those hit by objects thrown from the stands.
UEFA's disciplinary committee also fined Real Madrid 81,840 euros after a Bayern Munich player was hit in the back by projectiles thrown by fans at the Bernabeu in Madrid on Wednesday.

Standard Liege - FC Bruges - 12/04/2002

Source: a Standard fans forum

A little more than 150 WCF this Friday with about thirty friends of Den Bosch who came to support our team.(only, they left Sclessin right after the game). BCF came by car to Liege for this match on a Friday evening. During the match, beautiful tifo on the Standard side at the beginning of the match, much of brugesboys in the visitors stand. A very correct atmosphere created by the Standard side, sometimes some good songs on the Bruges side… After the match, incidents occured between the police and the Brugesboys (hools + normal) outside of the stands.
The watercannon functioned well. The WCF turns around the police to try to find a means to join the brugesside. The group separated a little, and after +/- half an hour, a group of about thirty WCF manages to enter a short contact with a part of BCF (15 to 20 people?) close to the bridge where this part of BCF had their cars parked. The WCF charged, whole BCF used their belts.
Short contact, horsepolice made some charges, and WCF groups moves back not to be taken. More than one hour after the match, there was a telephone contact with the BCF which gives rendezvous with us to T (!!). The WCFgroup is already less in a number, because indeed it seemed that a large part of the BCF was still in prison at the stadium... We thus go by car to T. We needed an obviously little time to arrive until there... A car of WCF-spotters sees that the BCF has a good group on the spot (thus no false information!) and part of the WCF is thus able to get parked in bottom of the bridge of the motorway....
It seemed that a lot of BCF had already weapons in their hands : great ! (I thought it was only WCF-way to fight ! ) But meanwhile the police (still on top) had already put everything to drive out the BCF which logically ranaway as quickly as possible. Unfortunately nothing else happened because I believe that the two groups were there for something, but the police was again really well-organized (helicopter, watercanon, numerous) On the other hand, if the others siders continue to go to park their cars under the bridge of Sclessin, it is sure that it will be difficult that it still occurs something near the stadium...

Marseille - Paris SG - 12/04/2002

Source: a PSG fans forum

Some little skirsmishes erupted the day before the game at the OM Café, opposing OM fans and Parisians (Hools? Ultras Fans?). The day of the game, nothing happened outside the stadium. The Parisians who came without escort (15-20) joined the other fans. Before the beginning of the game, some Parisians try to force a gate and a plainted-clothes cop is attacked. As they saw what was happen, CRS entered the terrace and a fight occured with PSG fans. CRS used CS-sprays. During the game, many missiles were threw from both sides. Many people were injured. A the end of the game, a PSG coach, full with PSG lads and other fans from the south of France stopped in front of the local Command Ultra's pub but CRS were there and entered the coach. Some Parisians and the driver were injured with batons. Two windows were also broken up.

RWDM - SK Lierse - 13/04/2002

Source: belgian newspapers

As the belgian football authorities refused the legal licence to their team (with the aim to stay in 1st division), the local fans were really angry. After some minutes of playing, a fan entered the pitch and 4 policemen arrested him but the local hardcore tried to entered the pitch too. The referee stopped the game for 10 minutes with the aim to restore order. At the end of the game, a large group of locals entered the pitch.

Blackpool - Bristol City - 13/04/2002

Source: BBC

Rival fans were joined by supporters from Leicester and Plymouth in clashes on the promenade and in Blackpool. A large group from Bristol left the ground before the end of the match. Blackpool fans and police came under a hail of missiles.

Stockport County - Sheffield Wednesday - 13/04/2002

Source: BBC

Around 300 supporters had to be kept apart at Sheffield Midland Rail Station when Wednesday fans travelling from Stockport were confronted by those from Sheffield United.