Season 02/03 - July

Hundreds arrested after German defeat - 01/07/2002
Source: Reuters

Several hundred people were arrested and one killed when Germans took to the streets in the aftermath of their national side's defeat to Brazil in the World Cup final, police said on Monday. After Sunday's final, police arrested more than 100 people in Berlin, where pockets of fans scuffled with police on the Kurfuerstendamm shopping street. In the southern city of Munich a group of fans were detained for goose stepping, a Nazi symbol outlawed in Germany. German media reports said more than 800 people had been arrested across the country. Estimates from police across the country contacted by Reuters put the figure at at least 400. In the central town of Mannheim, a 39-year-old fan died trying to swim across a river, police said. 'He jumped into the river Neckar and now he's dead,' said Mannheim police spokesman Volker Dressler. Brazil beat Germany 2-0 after a blunder by goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, which denied the underdogs a fourth world title. German newspapers mixed sharp criticism for Kahn's error with warm praise for a longshot side no one expected to advance so far. Kahn, faultless throughout the tournament, let slip a drive from Brazil's Rivaldo for Ronaldo to stroke in on the rebound, and bowed to the inevitable as the striker struck a fine second. German television station ZDF said more than 26 million people had watched the match, an 88 percent share of the television audience, but below the highest German television audience ever of 33 million for the European Cup final in 1996. The financial capital Frankfurt was preparing to welcome home the national team on Monday, with thousands of fans expected at the airport and later at the central Roemer square.

Japanese arrest 95 during World Cup - 01/07/2002

Source: AFP

Japanese authorities arrested 93 people on charges related to the World Cup and have refused entry to 65 foreigners, the National Police Agency said Monday.
Among the 93, 30 were arrested for ticket touting, 17 for obstructing police work and 10 for violating obscenity laws, a spokesman for the police agency said.
Six were arrested for property damage and five for trespassing into World Cup stadiums, the police spokesman said.
With 60 of those arrested Japanese nationals and just 13 British citizens, the statistics belie the much-hyped fears before the tournament of an invasion of British hooligans.
The agency said Japan's immigration authorities had refused entry to 65 foreigners, including 51 Britons, during the World Cup. Among the 65, 19 were suspected hooligans, while the others "raised suspicions," the police spokesman said.
Japanese police have deployed up to 7,700 police officers per game at cities hosting World Cup games to deter hooliganism and violence, and British authorities cooperated by supplying names of those with criminal convictions.
At least 1,007 Britons convicted of hooligan offences were ordered to surrender their passports for the duration of the World Cup so they could not travel to Asia.

Hooligans caused trouble in Ustronia - 04/07/2002

Source: Reuters

There was a hard fight at the disco at night from saturday to sunday in polish ustronia, where hooligans were involved. tens of hooligans from poland, czech republic and slovakia (gks katowice, banik ostrava and trnava) tried to enter, already crowded, local disco bar in small town ustronia. they were told by bouncers, that they will not let them in and a big fight started.
hooligans fought with bouncers, police, special force and also other football rowdies from bks bielsko biala, who were already at the disco. it took about 20 minutes to calm the group down and 36 people were then arrested. one cop was seriously hurt and taken to the hospital.
hooligans were returning from their friendly tournament in the town near by. those three clubs have a good friendship.

Maribor - Hajduk Split - Friendly match - 05/07/2002

Source: forum

A Split view:
We were exactly 21 but good mob.
the slovenians did it again with serbian provocations showing up 3 fingers.one of ours jumped over the fence to them but they didnt react.after the game some policemen escorted us to our mini vans and about 30 viola(many skinheads) throw with stones and bottles on us but when we started to run to them they ran away like rabbits.then another group of viola tried(less number than the first) to attack us from behind(this was their older and first squad)this time not everybody ran away,it came to a fight and some of theirs got beaten up hardly.
it is too say that they only can beat skiing fans and showing it proudly on the internet.they ran away in their own town and this is a shame.
on the way back they threw another stones on our vans but one of ours fired out a flare on them so that they stopped doing nonsense:)

Knokke - RSC Anderlecht - Friendly match - 05/07/2002

Source:a RSCA fans forum

For this game, some 80 BCS'ers made the transfer with the hope to see Bruges lads.Thirty of them were present and made a run. Some skirmishes also erupted when BCS'ers saw the Bruges player Birger Maertens.

Diest - RSC Anderlecht - Friendly match - 10/07/2002

Source: a RSCA fans forum

After an Anderlecht fan died some months ago, killed by some Lommel lads, 10 blokes of the Brussels firm made the transfer to Diest with the aim to see Lommel Green Lions. A short confrontation took place.

Drunken rowdies may cause demission of the coach - 11/07/2002

Source: Reuters

Coach of croatian club Dinamo Zagreb was shocked by the violence of club´s fans after their friendly match against Liberec in austria. he is seriously thinking about leaving Dinamo. Group of drunk hooligans, known as ´bad blue boys´ attacked the police and tried to damage facilities of the stadium. police had to use tear gas to calm the hooligans down. six rowdies was arrested later on at the border.violence started after their team lost 0:2 to the czech champions. they´ve turned their anger at coach Blazevic and striker davor suker as well. suker came to the match only as a visitor and found his car slightly damaged after it. "it´s disgusting, i´m seriously thinking about leaving the club" said Blazevic.

Neo-Nazi fires shot during French parade - 14/07/2002

Source: Reuters

A man known as a neo-Nazi and PSG hooligan has fired a rifle shot during France's Bastille Day parade, just moments after President Jacques Chirac passed by, police and eyewitnesses say. The young man took a .22 calibre sporting rifle out of a brown guitar case just after Chirac had made a tour in an open car around the Arc de Triomphe at the start of the annual parade commemorating France's 1789 revolution, the eyewitnesses said. Onlookers immediately began shouting and police quickly threw the man to the ground, handcuffed him and led him away, they added. Several plainclothes policemen appeared from among the crowd to help the uniformed police. "This individual, 25 years old, is known to belong to neo-Nazi and hooligan movements," a police statement said later. The man, who had a short haircut, was seized as Chirac toured the Place de l'Etoile around the Arc de Triomphe "after he had made use once of a .22 calibre long rifle", it added. The police declined to give any further information about the man, who they said was being detained at the Criminal Brigade offices in central Paris. They also declined to say in which direction the shot was fired. A .22 calibre rifle is usually used for sport shooting. It was not clear whether Chirac noticed the incident as he began the ride down the broad Champs Elysees at the head of the hour-long parade. The rest of the parade, which included US military cadets and a New York Fire Department truck as a sign of French-American partnership, proceeded without interruption.

Berchem Sports - RSC Anderlecht - Friendly match - 18/07/2002

Source: a RSCA fans forum

As they tried to have an off with Antwerp FC lads and GBA lads, BCs'ers made the transfer with 120 lads. As OB was on top, nothing happened during all day.

Lazio Roma: Journalists attacked - 19/07/2002

Source: Reuters

Three journalists required medical treatment on Friday after they were attacked by fans while covering Serie A club Lazio's pre-season training camp, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. The report said the fans, members of Lazio's hardcore 'ultras' group, attacked a group of journalists at the camp in Vigo di Fassa in north-eastern Italy. Police intervened to restore order and Lazio condemned the supporters. "Lazio expresses its strongest condemnation of the events and its
total solidarity with the journalists who were victims of the aggression," the Rome club said in a statement. Lazio's 'ultras' have gained a reputation for violence and have been
fined on several occasions for racially abusing players. Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti has introduced several initiatives aimed at eliminating the influence of the hardcore minority.

Shinnik Yaroslav - Spartak Moscow - 19/07/2002

Source: Reuters

The match was marred by clashes between police and several hundred Spartak supporters -considered some of the most violent in the country- who made the short trip to Yaroslavl, about 200 kilometres east of Moscow. Russian television showed riot police charging the visiting fans
after Shinnik scored their second goal early in the second half. No injuries or arrests were reported.

Austria Wien - Arsenal FC - Friendly match - 26/07/2002

Source: AFP

Crowd trouble halted a pre-season friendly here Saturday between English Premiership champions Arsenal and Austrian side Rapid Vienna. Austrian referee Fritz Stuchlik took the teams off with 21 minutes remaining of the match at Eisenstadt some 50km south of Vienna after some Rapid fans in the 11,400 crown began hurling missiles and lighting bonfires. The match was scoreless at the time.
Some fans threw bottles and chairs as police intervened.

Hammarby IF - Partizan Beograd - 31/07/2002

Source: Reuters

Swedish police have arrested 6 Partizan Belgrade fans. Special police forces have to intervened inside the Rasunda stadium as Yugoslavians were fighting with local stewards. Two fans were immediately arrested, said the swedish press agency, TT. Four others were arrested outside the stadium as they threw firecrackers. The game was suspended for some minutes with the aim to restore order.

River Plate - Newell's Old Boys - 28/07/2002

Source: Yahoo

The new soccer season was marred by fan violence, with two fans hospitalized -- one seriously injured -- after a clash between River Plate and Newell's Old Boys supporters fans that led to 22 arrests. Some fighting happened during the game, but most of it prior to it and after it.

AIK Stockholm - IFK Goteborg - 29/07/2002

Source: Reuters

Swedish fan killed in pre-arranged fight.

A 26 year old IFK fan died from injures he recived in a fight before the game between AIK Stockholm and IFK Gothenburg on monday july 29. The pre-arranged fight between the hooligan groups Firman Boys (AIK) and Wisemen (IFK) took place in a park in central Stockholm about one hour before kick off. Fans were fighting on the streets outside the park but split up when police arrived at the scene, leaving the victim unconscious on the ground. According to eyewitnesses his perpetrators stomped and kicked on his head when he was lying down. The man recived serious brain damage and had to be treaten in a respirator. During the week his condition get worse and on the morning of august the 2 he passed away. The police describes the incident as a 1st degree murder and has set a lot of resources to investigate the case. It was the first time a football fan was killed in Sweden and the reactions and condemnations are strong from all parts of society.

Watford - Luton Town - 18/07/2002

Source : YouTube