Season 05/06 - May

Top Romanian clubs punished over racist behaviour-26/05/2006

Source:Reuters

Leading Romanian clubs Steaua and Dinamo Bucharest have been fined and their stadiums banned over racist behaviour from players and fans last weekend, the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) said on Friday.

Steaua players joined their fans after a 2-1 away win over Sportul Studentesc last Sunday and shouted racist slogans against bitter rivals Rapid Bucharest.
Dinamo supporters insulted a coloured Arges Pitesti player throughout their 1-0 away victory on Saturday.
Both Steaua and Dinamo will play their next match at home behind closed doors," FRF disciplinary commission head Doru Viorel Ursu told reporters.
"And both teams were fined 30,000 Swiss francs ($24,630) each."
Steaua, top of the first division with 58 points, and Rapid, two points behind with two matches remaining, are the main contenders for the Romanian league title.
Dinamo, who have changed coach several times this season, are fourth with 52 points and struggling to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Sportul Studentesc are third on 53.
Last year, UEFA banned Steaua's stadium for two matches and fined the club after fans' racist behaviour against Irish side Shelbourne's two coloured players during the home leg of their Champions League preliminary round tie.

19 arrested in Millwall football violence crackdown - 25/05/2006

Source : Press Association

Police carried out dawn raids today in a clampdown on violence at Millwall football matches.
Scotland Yard said 16 people were arrested as part of Operation Devine, the Metropolitan Police response to disorder at Millwall games by both home and away supporters.
A spokesman said the raids followed phase one of the operation on March 21, which saw 10 men arrested and charged with violent disorder.
Additional suspects were identified from CCTV footage recovered from within Millwall's ground during recent matches.
All those arrested were identified at disturbances during the Millwall v Wolves game on January 21 and the Millwall v Crystal Palace match on February 18, which involved Crystal Palace supporters, the spokesman said.
"Today's arrests, which took place at addresses in both London and Hertfordshire, demonstrate the robust approach taken to tackle those who seek to act violently in the name of football," he said.
Police will seek to gain banning orders on those arrested which will prevent them entering all Premiership, League and Conference grounds.
Superintendent BJ Harrington, leading Operation Devine, said: "Those identified and arrested as part of today's pre-planned operation have used the veneer of football to legitimise senseless violence.
"We recognise that the majority of football fans just want to enjoy the game, and as such we know that they, and the football clubs involved, support all police activity in removing violent disorder from in and around the grounds.
"We will work closely with the courts to ensure that banning orders are imposed, which in turn will prevent them from causing any further trouble at future matches."
Millwall chief executive Ken Brown said: "The success of Operation Devine is good news for football fans and good news for Millwall Football Club.
"It sends out a clear message that the minority who seek to use football matches as an excuse to exhibit violent behaviour will be prosecuted. We operate a zero tolerance policy in respect of such behaviour at Millwall and fully support the police in their initiative.
"The vast majority of decent law-abiding fans who watch matches at The Den can be reassured they will continue to be able to watch football in a safe environment."
Crystal Palace Football Club management added: "Behaviour of this nature by a small number of our supporters - be it at home games or away - is unacceptable and brings the club into disrepute. We promote ourselves as a family club and will continue to work closely with the police to stamp it out of the game."

Chelsea Headhunters: Soccer thug stuck with 10-year ban – 26/05/2006

Source : Herts and Essex Newspapers

A judge has upheld a 10-year order banning a Hertfordshire football hooligan from matches.
Jason Marriner,38, from Stevenage, was exposed on TV as a member of the notorious Chelsea Headhunters.
He sought to have the banning order reduced, but undercover detectives from the Met police's football intelligence unit gave evidence that he continued to mingle with Chelsea thugs.
On one occasion, Marriner was spotted with 100 known thugs in a London pub.
A detective, who could not be named because of his work, said: "It was virtually a who's who of Chelsea hooligans and included in the pub was Marriner. He was drinking with the rest of the group.
"It is fair to say the main organisers were there along with lots of the younger group who are emerging.
"They see Marriner and his contemporaries as idols, I'm reluctant to say."
On April 29 he was spotted near Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium before a match against Manchester United selling DVDs and a book thought to be about his exploits as a hooligan.
Marriner, who runs a flower stall at various markets, including Hemel Hempstead, also has his own hooliganism website.
The detective added: "Jason Marriner is still actively involved with hooligans around England.
"If this was not so serious with the World Cup coming up and the impending season this application might have been seen as funny. At the present time he's still a risk to public order."
Judge Charles Byers, sitting at London's Blackfriars Crown Court, rejected Marriner's application for a reduction in the ban and ordered him to pay court costs of £600.
In December 2000 Marriner was jailed for six years for his part in organising a mass brawl with Leicester fans.
He had been exposed as a hooligan aligned with racist far right groups by BBC journalist Donal MacIntyre during the late 1990s.
His barrister, Michael Wolkind QC, told the judge he hoped to take his children to matches.

Hooligans take on police in Belgium - 27/05/2006

Source : RTE

Football hooligans from 10 Belgian clubs held an ill-fated summit this week in the eastern city of Hasselt to prepare for next month's World Cup.

Reports appeared in the Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg today.

Groups of hooligans from around the globe are reported to be preparing a 'third world war' for football's showcase event, which Germany is hosting from June 9 to July 9.

The Belgian daily said the hooligans, avowed enemies during the normal season, gathered on Wednesday to try to form a 'united front' against violent supporters from other countries.

It said the summit, held in a bar where a World Cup warm-up match between Belgium and Turkey was being screened, collapsed amid disaccord. The match ended in a 3-3 draw.

Fights broke out and the violence escalated as the hooligans called in reinforcements with their mobile telephones. They reunited when police arrived, turning together on the local constabulary.

Twelve people were arrested, the newspaper reported.

Hannover 96 - Bayer Leverkusen - 13/05/2006

Source : Mail

Police issue World Cup warning to thugs - 24/05/2006

Source : East Anglian Daily Times

POLICE in East Anglia have launched a major operation to stop football hooligans travelling from the region to the World Cup finals.

Officers have pledged to be vigilant at the region's ports and airports to prevent troublemakers heading out to the tournament, which starts in Germany on June 9.

They will also be monitoring more than 50 known hooligans from Essex and Suffolk, who are banned from attending overseas football matches.

The thugs, who are linked to a number of clubs including Ipswich Town and Colchester United, will be reminded of their obligation to surrender their passports before the World Cup begins.

Essex Police Special Operations Chief Inspector Jon Dodman said: “We have got an operation running at Stansted Airport and Harwich International Port which is to stop people on banning orders leaving the country.

“We are also visiting people with international football banning orders and serving them with a letter reminding them of the conditions. We will give them the opportunity to surrender their passports there and then.”

There are 2,300 football “supporters” in England and Wales banned from travelling to the World Cup, including 42 from Essex, 10 from Suffolk and 15 from Norfolk.

Wales: Football thugs' wings clipped - 28/05/2006

Source : icWales

MORE than 200 Welsh football hooligans have been barred from going to the World Cup.

Despite Wales not qualifying, the yobs will have to hand in their passports this week to stop them travelling to Germany.

In all, 208 known Welsh hooligans, who all have a history of football violence, are banned from attending overseas football matches and will face the same sanctions as England supporters.

Each of them will have to report to their local police station and hand in their passports on Tuesday - 10 days prior to the opening match - and on every England matchday during the tournament to prove they are in the country.

Of the 208, there are 130 from South Wales, 50 from North Wales, 25 in the Gwent area and three in Dyfed-Powys.

Hanover police ban hooligans from city - 30 May 2006

Source : Expatica

Police in the German city of Hanover have banned 51 known hooligans from the federal state of Lower Saxony from not only attending World Cup matches in the city but also from entering large areas of Hanover's city centre.

Assistant chief of police Uwe Luehrig is reported in Tuesday's Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper as stating that the ban is already in place and encompasses a two-kilometre stretch from the main station through the city centre.

"I assume that other World Cup host cities will act in a similar manner," Luehrig was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Hooligans found in breach of the order face a fine or could be held for up to nine days.

Police have also set up 237 steel cages in garages of police stations to hold potential troublemakers.

World Cup 2006 News - Known hooligans surrender passports - 30/05/2006

Source : Adfero Ltd

Thousands of known England football hooligans are handing their passports over to police today ahead of the nationwide, Fifa-backed, World Cup banning order deadline.

In total, 3,286 Britons have been told they must relinquish their passports before the end of the day as part of a mass clamp-down aimed at preventing trouble-makers from travelling to Germany.

They have also been ordered to report to police stations when England are playing their games next month.

Penalties of up to six months in prison and fines of £5,000 will be handed to any of the identified thugs who refuse to meet today's deadline or fail to report at the stations.

The move comes as final policing preparations are put into place, including the sending of four crown prosecution service lawyers to Germany to assist with the efficient sentencing of any Britons arrested for causing unrest.

West Midlands chief prosecutor David Blundell, who will be in Germany during the tournament, reiterated today that any fans convicted can expect banning orders upon their return.

'We'll be looking at the German procedure right from the police station to the court, getting the documentation, sending it back to this country…in anticipation of people returning from the World Cup,' he said.

England play their opening match against Paraguay in Frankfurt in 12 days' time and German authorities insist they are fully prepared for any scenes of hooliganism such as those which marred the 1998 World Cup in France and Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The Home Office has cooperated extensively with its German counterparts in the run-up to the event and an agreement has been reached allowing 79 English police officers to work in and around the cities where England play their matches.

These measures combined should help continue the more recent examples of trouble-free tournaments, such as the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan and Euro 2004 in Portugal.

However, recent threats from Polish football hooligans have raised fears that there will still be some outbreaks of organised violence in two weeks' time.

Argentine police will watch hooligans in Germany - 30/05/2006

Source: Xinhua

The Argentine government will send ten Federal Police officers to Dusseldorf, Germany, on Sunday, to watch "barra brava" (fight club) members expected to go to Germany from across Argentina, local media said Monday.

The officers will work with Germany security forces to help prevent outbreaks of violence in the cities where Argentina plays, Enrique Capdevilas, the head of the group told Argentine daily Clarin. Among other duties they will visit the stadiums where Argentina will play some days before each game, and will watch where the fight club members go.

He said that there will be a record number of Argentine hooligans in Germany, estimating between 150 and 200 violent fans would visit, and that most of these would be fans of local teams Boca Juniors or River Plate.

While the government will try to halt fans who have been charged or convicted of violent offenses, that have not had official judicial permission, from leaving the country, many potential thugs will travel to Germany because there is no official rule prohibiting them from doing so.

One of the most feared games is the Holland-Argentina match due June 21 in Frankfurt, but the police will also try to make sure the Argentines are kept well away from the England team's fans. The two nations' soccer supporters have maintained a great rivals ever since 1982 when the two countries went to war over the Falkland Islands, a British territory close to the south coast of Argentina.

The last big fight between English and Argentine soccer fans was on June 22, 1986 following a 2-1 victory by Argentina over England, which included the controversial "hand of God" goal. Some 30 people were seriously hurt in that fighting.

The police will also try to prevent River Plate and Boca fans from fighting amongst themselves.

The newspaper said that the two clubs had sent police lists of the fans they knew to be travelling to Germany, as a good will gesture.

Stal Rzeszów - Resovia - 31/05/2006

Source : Kibice forum

SC Rot-Weiß Oberhausen - FC Carl Zeiss JENA - 27/05/06

Source : Viva Jena website

Unit Samara - Zenit Chelyabinsk - 14/05/06

Source: http://r-fanats.ru

Before the match fight between guests and hools of Krylya Sovetov Samara

















Video: http://r-fanats.ru/downloads.php?cat_id=1&download_id=15 (35 mb)

FSV Zwickau - Chemie Leipzig II - 19/05/2006

Source : REDKAOS website

FC Hansa Rostock II - 1. FC Union Berlin - 16/05/2006

Source : UNVEU website

Swansea: Cup travel ban on fans - 31/05/2006

Source: This is South Wales


Six Swansea football hooligans had to surrender their passports yesterday, in the run-up to the World Cup in Germany. They are among more than 3,000 people from across the UK with football banning orders who were ordered to hand over their passports to police.

They are prevented from travelling as part of measures intended to reduce the potential for trouble during the tournament.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The UK is the only participating country with the powers to prevent known risk fans from leaving England and Wales during the tournament.

"They will have to surrender their passports and report to designated police stations when instructed to do so by the football banning orders authority."

Greece: Soccer fans riot on ferry - 12/05/2006

Source: It's all Greek

AEK soccer fans caused about 150,000 euros in damage to a ferry that was transporting them back to Athens yesterday from Wednesday’s cup final in which their team lost to rival Olympiakos, authorities said.

About 700 fans on board the Ierapetra reached the port of Rafina after watching their team lose 3-0 in Iraklion, Crete. Authorities said that about 50 fans caused damage to the bar and lounge in the ferry that had been chartered by the club for its fans.

Six supporters have been detained and were being questioned by port authorities. Two people were injured in the incident. A crew member was hit by a bottle while the second person, a coast guard on shore, was hit by a flare fired by a fan on the vessel.

AEK fans were reported to be angry that they were not given free food and drink

Nafta - Maribor - 13/05/2006

Source : Viole Maribor website

England: Suspect football hooligans arrested in dawn raids - 25/05/2006

Source: This is Local London

POLICE arrested 16 suspected football hooligans in dawn raids across London and Hertfordshire this morning.

They were identified from CCTV footage taken from matches at Championship side Millwall's home ground, The Den.

The supporters were arrested after disturbances at Millwall's matches against the Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 21 and against Crystal Palace on February 18, which involved Eagle's supporters.

The swoop follows the arrest of 10 men in March who were charged with violent disorder.

continued...
Police will seek banning orders against the men to stop them from entering all Premiership, League and Conference football grounds.

The arrests were a part of Operation Devine, the Met's crackdown on home and away supporters acting violently at Millwall matches.

Superintendent BJ Harrington, leading Operation Devine, said: "Those identified and arrested as part of today's pre-planned operation have used the veneer of football to legitimise senseless violence.

"We recognise that the majority of football fans just want to enjoy the game, and as such we know that they, and the football clubs involved, support all police activity in removing violent disorder from in and around the grounds.

"We will work closely with the courts to ensure that banning orders are imposed, which in turn will prevent them from causing any further trouble at future matches."

Millwall FC chief executive Ken Brown said: "The success of Operation Devine is good news for football fans and good news for Millwall Football Club.

"It sends out a clear message that the minority who seek to use football matches as an excuse to exhibit violent behaviour will be prosecuted. We operate a zero tolerance policy in respect of such behaviour at Millwall and fully support the police in their initiative.

"The vast majority of decent law abiding fans who watch matches at The Den can be reassured they will continue to be able to watch football in a safe environment."

Swindon: Cup ban for ‘fans’ - 03/05/2006

Source: Swindon Advertiser

A TOTAL of 33 Swindon Town football hooligans have been banned from travelling to Germany for the World Cup finals.

The yobs are all subject to Football Banning Orders and must report to a police station and surrender their passports 10 days before the opening match on June 9.

They will also have to report to police every day England play during the tournament.
continued...

James Neighbour, football liaison officer for Swindon police, and his team spent months gathering evidence against the troublemakers.

He says the banning orders will reduce the risk of England being shamed by yobs from our town.

A total of 3,286 banning orders have been imposed by courts across England and Wales with 33 in Wiltshire.

PC Neighbour said: "The banning orders were necessary due to the World Cup in Germany.

"It's not difficult to travel to and there are other countries taking part that have more worrying problems with hooligans than England, like Poland, Holland and Germany themselves."

The Football Banning Orders are a civil measure, designed to make it easier to stop hooligans attending games without proving criminal behaviour beyond reasonable doubt'.

Behaviour likely to result in a ban includes fighting, stirring up racial hatred, using threatening or abusive words and displaying abusive or insulting writing'.

Offenders banned from international matches are also outlawed from any league ground in England.

The first Town fan to receive a civil banning order was Paul Merritt, then 27, of Applewood Court in Westlea in July last year.

The orders normally last for two to five years.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke has said that the banning orders will be rigorously enforced.

He said English and German police and authorities had the leading relationship in Europe in combating hooliganism.

Mr Clarke said: "The German slogan for the World Cup is time to make friends' and that's how we want to see this tournament going.

"We want it to be a celebration of football, an expression of the modern relationship between Germany and Britain."

In March, rival football fans caused chaos when they clashed at a Swindon pub on a day when neither teams kicked a ball.

Twelve people were arrested after the trouble which involved up to 100 people at the Queens Tap.

Men, who are believed to be Bristol Rovers supporters, smashed all of the pub's windows and they were seen hurling cans and bottles at Swindon fans drinking inside.

Polish Police Battle Soccer Hooligans - 14/05/2006

Source: AP

Soccer fans celebrating a league championship broke store windows, damaged restaurant terraces and fought with police, outbursts leading to more than 200 arrests in the capital and injuries to more than 50 officers.

About 1,500 officers in riot gear clashed with hooligans Saturday night after some of the estimated 7,000 fans celebrating Legia Warsaw's victory in front of the Royal Castle tried to break into a liquor store and attacked police with paving stones.

Police arrested 231 people for assault and property destruction, Warsaw police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said Sunday. Fifty-four police officers were injured, and one remained hospitalized with a concussion.

Fifty-eight people will be charged with assaulting police officers, and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, national police chief Marek Bienkowski said.

The World Cup begins June 9 in neighboring Germany, and Polish and German media have raised concerns over the possible violence by Polish fans. Poland plays Germany, Ecuador and Costa Rica in the first round of the tournament.

World Cup ban for 124 Lancs soccer yobs - 06/05/2006

Source: Lancashire Evening Telegraph, first published Saturday 6th May 2006.

MORE than 100 Lancashire football hooligans are banned from travelling to the World Cup more than nearly every other part of the country.

There are 124 football banning orders in the county, 57 connected to Burnley FC, 37 to Blackburn Rovers, 26 to Preston North End and four from Blackpool.

This figure puts Lancashire at 10th out of the country's 42 police areas.

Yobs with banning orders will be made to report to a police station and surrender their passports two days prior to the opening match, and on every England match day.

But today the police officer responsible for cutting football-related violence said the high number of banning orders was proof police methods are working.

Inspector Judith Finney said: "Over the recent years, there has been a concerted effort by the constabulary to control behaviour at Lancashire's football games.

Our methods are working and will be continued throughout this season and beyond.

"The constabulary continues to work closely with the Football Association and the force solicitor to target known trouble makers, whilst ensuring that we use current legislation effectively and appropriately."

The World Cup will kick off on June 12 and 100,000 England fans are expected to head to Germany in June and July.

To lessen the risk of trouble, a total of 3,286 Brits have been slapped with football banning orders.

Teams of British police officers will be sent to Germany, and some will be given the same powers as their foreign counterparts.

German police will also head to England to screen fans in the run-up to the event.

Inspector Finney said Operation Summer Nights, a seasonal crackdown on anti-social behaviour, would be linked to the World Cup.

She added: "The vast majority of supporters attending the games are extremely well behaved and act in the true spirit of the game.

"Excluding those individuals who are intent on causing trouble for others will go towards making it even safer for those genuine football fans who want to enjoy the sport."

100 louts banned from Germany - 11/05/2006

Source:Bolton Evening News

MORE than 100 Lancashire football hooligans have been banned from travelling to the World Cup more than in most other parts of the country.

There are 124 football banning orders in the county, 57 connected to Burnley FC, 37 to Blackburn Rovers, 26 to Preston North End and four to Blackpool.

This figure puts Lancashire 10th out of the country's 42 police areas.

Yobs with orders will have to report to a police station and surrender their passports two days prior to the opening match in Germany, and on every England match day.

World cup ban on 40 fans - 18/05/2006

Source: Bolton Evening News

MORE than 40 football fans from Bolton will be banned from travelling to the World Cup in Germany.

They will have to hand in their passports and report to police stations on the days when England are playing.

Police from Bolton will be among 86 uniformed officers and plain clothes "spotters" travelling to Germany as part of a joint operation with overseas authorities to stamp out any trouble.

Violent clashes tarnished the reputation of England fans during the 1998 World Cup in France.

Twenty-three football fans from Bolton have banning orders as a result of convictions for disorder in previous years.

A further 18 were served with banning orders in the season that has just finished.

And a further three Wanderers fans are due to appear in court before the start of the tournament and could be banned from making the trip.

Information about known hooligans from Bolton and elsewhere in Greater Manchester will be collated on a national database.

Police spotters will also be on alert at the region's airports to identify hooligans trying to breach the ban by leaving the country.

PC Adie Ollerton, Bolton's football intelligence officer, said: "The majority of Wanderers fans have been well behaved this season but the small number who cause trouble have been targeted.

"There were one or two incidents of people misbehaving abroad at UEFA Cup matches, but on the whole, we have been able to avoid any disorder through identifying and monitoring known offenders.

"Those who pose the most threat to a peaceful tournament will not travel.

"People who we suspect may cause trouble in Germany will be closely monitored by police from both the UK and Germany."

Bolton has the third highest number on the ban list. Only Manchester United and Manchester City have more, with 97 and 64 respectively.

A total of 3,286 yobs in the UK are subject to banning orders, which were introduced as part of the Football Disorder Act in 2000, according to latest Home Office figures.

Greater Manchester, where 247 orders are in operation, is fourth in a list of shame headed by West Midlands (290), Greater London (267) and South Yorkshire (264).

Anyone with a banning order will be required to hand their passport to police by May 31, meaning they cannot leave the country, and must report to a police station on match days.

All of those banned face prison if they enter any football ground in England or Wales during the term of their order.

Greater Manchester Police's Assistant Chief Constable Steve Thomas will head the British part of the operation.

He has spoken of his hopes that a repeat of the good behaviour displayed by England fans at Euro 2004 in Portugal will dispel the reputation of the country's fans as hooligans.

He said: "Some people think the good behaviour of England fans in Euro 2004 was a one-off but if the supporters can maintain that for Germany there's no reason to think that image won't disappear.

"There are many challenges ahead but I am confident that we will be able to assist in the successful running of the tournament."

3,000 fans must hand over their passports - 30/05/2006

Source: Bolton Evening News

More than 3,000 football hooligans have until today to surrender their passports to police ahead of the World Cup finals in Germany.

Some 3,286 people with football banning orders have received letters instructing them to hand in their passports, BBC Radio 4's Today programme reported.

With the tournament set to kick off next week, they will also be required to attend a police station each time England play.

Those that fail to do so could face six months in jail and a £5,000 fine.

Today reported that four Crown Prosecution Service lawyers would be travelling to Germany to liaise with local courts when English trouble-makers are charged.

West Midlands chief prosecutor David Blundell, who will be in Germany, said those convicted could expect banning orders on their return.

He said: "We'll be looking at the German procedure right from the police station to the court, getting the documentation, sending it back to this country ... in anticipation of people returning from the World Cup."