Season 05/06 - June

Eastern European thugs pose threat - 01/06/2006

Source : REÜTERS

Tens of thousands of eastern Europeans head for the World Cup finals for the first time this year yet all eyes are on a tiny group of hooligans for whom the tournament is a first chance to make global headlines.

Foreign and local media have played up the threat of east against west hooligan battles with images of street clashes and promises from Polish gangs that they will cross the border armed with knives and axes to attack English and German fans.

Police, football associations and ordinary supporters in the region say the reports are overblown, but attempts to calm fears have been drowned out by a week of rioting at the end of the Polish league season and trouble with Croatian fans in World Cup qualifying.
''Everybody knows it may be a problem,'' lifelong Legia Warsaw fan Ziemek Dulinski said after an estimated 7,000 fans rioted in the Polish capital on May 13, smashing up cafes and bars and frightening tourists in the city's historic Old Town.

POLICE FAILINGS

Poland's ruling right won last September's election on a tough-on-crime platform, promising to crack down on hooligans after outbreaks of soccer-related violence during the campaign.

But police infrastructure is a long way behind foreign contemporaries, with few cameras at grounds and until recently no register other than the list of those with stadium bans to cover the more than 30,000 fans who will travel to Germany.

Regional forces are bidding to fill in the gaps by interviewing hundreds of supporters who won tickets in the Polish FA's draw, searching for potential troublemakers or those who may have passed tickets on.

But fans' groups say this sort of search is unlikely to yield much and that the hooligans will not have trouble going to Germany if they want to.

Four-hundred Swiss hooligans banned from World Cup - 02/06/2006

Source : AP

The German soccer federation on Thursday banned 400 Swiss hooligans from attending the World Cup.

Refused entry into stadiums at home, they were on a list of troublemakers submitted by the Swiss soccer federation to German authorities.

Tickets won't be sold to anyone who has a history of hooliganism or are on lists submitted from around the world by their soccer federations, interior ministry spokesman Christian Sachs said.

Switzerland will play France on June 13 in Stuttgart, and the city's police said it had written to 37 Swiss people warning them not to cause trouble.

Poland sends police to World Cup - 02/06/2006

Source : Polskie Radio website

Polish police will send officers to Germany during the World Cup of Football. The Polish police contingent is so far largest, after the British. Even though Polish hooligans mainly have caused problems withing the their country, there are concerns among foreign press and German police.

In an effort to deal a pre-emptive strike to Polish hooligans feared to wreak havoc in Germany, the Polish national Police have dispatched a contingent of 68 officers to work with their German colleagues during the World Cup. The main part of them will join German-Polish patrols, mainly concentrating on stadiums as well as rail and bus stations. The rest will be “spotters”, posted at stadiums to locate known, convicted hooligans.

The Polish way to handle the hooligan problem has been seen as outdated, as there are in many countries “stadium bans” to prevent known hooligans from entering the premises. But following this year’s Polish National Cup finals, when hooligans violently clashed with the police, the government vowed to take decisive action. Police spokesman Michał Płowecki:

For the past six years, we have cameras installed in stadiums, which help us identify the hooligans. We have lists of names and photos of hooligans in every regional police office. We also cooperate with foreign police

In the international press, Polish hooligans have been compared with former vices such as the English or Dutch supporters. However, there are many opinions about how great the threat of the Polish hooligans really is. They have mainly caused problems inside Poland, but there are exceptions that worries the German Police. Andreas Ulrich, journalist of Der Spiegel:

They are trying to keep the situation calm. But there have been some clashed between German and Polish hooligans, once in Gelsenkirchen for example, close to Frankfurt-an-der-Oder, on the German-Polish border.

In the final preparations for the World Cup, more measures are going to be presented by the Polish police, who are now doing everything to combat the hooligans, so that the real supporters, who come for the love of the game, can have a good time.

World Cup warning for hooligans - 02/06/2006

Source : Guardian

British police vowed to show football hooligans the red card if they try to travel to the World Cup.

From Friday, uniformed and plain clothes officers will be patrolling every sea and airport across the country, to spot potential troublemakers.

The British officers are being joined by German police, in a bid to reassure fans of their safety and create a World Cup "carnival" atmosphere.

Launching the ports operation at Manchester Airport, Stephen Thomas, assistant chief constable of Greater Manchester Police and the leader on football issues for the Association of Chief Police Officers, warned hooligans to stay away from Germany.

He said: "The vast majority of football supporters are there to behave themselves and have a good time. Nobody has got anything to worry about, unless you're a football hooligan.

"If people with football banning orders turn up at the airport they will be arrested, taken to court, banged up in prison or fined.

"I am very confident that we will prevent those people we have targeted getting into the country."

Assistant chief constable Thomas said there were around 3,500 English people with football banning orders, all of whom were asked to surrender their passports from May 30th this year.

He said: "It is the best result we have had so far at this stage, even better than we did in Euro 2000. Two days after people were supposed to start surrendering their passports, more than 90 per cent of them had been handed in.

"We have copies of those passports that haven't been handed in and we are confident of catching those people if they try to travel to Germany."


English hooligans face Belgian riot police during clashes in central Brussels in this June 16 2000

World Cup advice for England fans - 02/06/2006

Source : BBC NEWS

A football supporter whose Euro 2004 hooliganism conviction was ruled unsafe is warning England fans to be on their guard at the World Cup in Germany.

Garry M***, 47, from Faversham in Kent, was given a two-year jail sentence and deported to England after being found guilty in Portugal of inciting a riot.
A UK judge decided a year later that his trial was unfair and too quick.

Mr M*** said England fans should be wary of becoming innocent bystanders caught up in trouble caused by others.

He was accused of a breach of the peace after clashes between supporters and Portuguese police in Albufeira in June 2004.

A judge ruled in July 2005 that Mr M***'s trial in Portugal was against his human rights and his conviction unsafe.

The decision did not alter his conviction in Portugal though and he is still in the process of appealing against it.

Arrested at pub

Mr M*** said: "You could be sitting in a pub out of the way of the trouble and... you could become involved when you don't really think you're going to be involved.

"I entered a pub at midnight about a mile from where the riot was supposed to have started.

"I came out at 0300 BST, the riot had already taken place and the police had basically swept the whole of the town apart from several pubs, one of which I was in.

"When we came out there was a minor altercation and I decided to go back with others to the pub I was in. After I came out of the pub they decided to arrest me.

"Hopefully the German police are a little bit wiser and will, if there's a minor altercation, deal with it in a way not to get the England fans' backs up."

Rapid Bucarest - Sportul Studentsc - 05/06/2006

Source : REÜTERS

Police detain 20 violent fans after clashes

Police arrested and fined 20 Rapid Bucharest fans for hooliganism after disturbances following their team's 3-0 win over Sportul Studentesc at the weekend, a club spokesman said on Monday.

"Fans attacked policemen with stones apparently without any reason," Cristian Costache said. "Police reacted with tear gas and there was a fight between fans and policemen ouside the ground late on Sunday night."

Sunday's violence followed clashes on Saturday between fans of Dinamo Bucharest and Universitatea Craiova. A referee was also assaulted by National Bucharest supported fans after their team lost a match against Dinamo Bucharest.

Dinamo played their home match in Ploiesti, 60 km north of the capital as punishment for racist abuse from their fans towards an Ivory coast player last month.

Steaua Bucharest were also penalised for racist behaviour at an earlier game and played their match against Jiul Petrosani behind closed doors.

Yobs facing prison for soccer clashes - 06/06/2006

Source : Sheffield Today

NINE football hooligans faced jail terms today after two rival gangs ran riot through Rotherham.

Violence flared when Doncaster Rovers fans, bolstered by a number of Sheffield United supporters, clashed with Rotherham followers in the town centre after being refused entry at a game in Stockport.
Yobs were seen on CCTV trading punches and kicks as they chased each other along the streets and in and out of bars.
One man - 20-year-old Blades fan Simon B******, of Whirlowdale Road, Whirlow, Sheffield - brandished a bottle while a number of other men armed themselves with bar stools during the violence in April last year.
Rovers fan Ian W*****, aged 31, of Mansfield Crescent, Armthorpe, Doncaster, punched and kicked a rival outside a bar.
The gangs clashed when the Rovers supporters were turned away from a match against Stockport County and put on a train back to South Yorkshire, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
All nine men admitted a charge of violent disorder and were due to be sentenced today.
The other seven included Keiran P******, 18, of Muskoka Avenue, Bents Green, Sheffield. He was seen gesturing to rivals.Paul H****, 41, of Washington Grove, Bentley, Doncaster, admitted his gang chased another gang.
Paul S****, 41, of Grove Avenue, Doncaster, struck several blows .
Robert J******, 39, of Doncaster Road, Doncaster, has numerous previous convictions for threatening behaviour and being drunk and disorderly.
Ben D*****, 18, of Meadow Court, Edenthorpe, was in a group involved in violence in the Bridge Gate area.
The two Rotherham fans caught were Nathan H******, 23, of Town Lane, Rockingham, Rotherham, and Ashley R****, 24, of Pitt Street, Kimberworth, Rotherham.

English hooligans fail to hand in passports - 05/06/2006

Source : Deutsche Presse-Agentur

More than 300 football hooligans have failed to comply with orders to hand in their passports before the start of the World Cup, the Home Office said Monday.

Officials voiced concern that some of them might already have left the country for Germany, where the tournament gets under way on Friday.

More than 3,300 English fans with records of violence are subject to banning orders, which required them to hand in their passports at police stations a week ago.

An estimated 100,000 English fans are expected to make the trip to Germany for the World Cup, where England are expected to do well.

Police said they were looking for around 200 hooligans after tracking down and arrested 100 who failed to hand in their passports.

Details of the hooligans have been passed to police at British ports and airports. Authorities in Germany and possible transit countries have also been alerted.

Those subject to banning orders are required to report to their local police stations on England match days and face jail sentences of up to six months if they fail to do so.

Five banned British hooligans in Germany - 07/06/2006

Source : REÜTERS

The head of the German police unit monitoring hooliganism said on Wednesday that five banned English troublemakers and possibly more were believed to have entered Germany.

They are all subject to banning orders, which are central to the British government's drive to curb hooliganism and prevent known troublemakers from leaving the country by obliging them to surrender their passports.

British authorities issued some 3,300 banning orders ahead of the World Cup but not all those affected have handed over their passports.

Michael Endler, head of the ZIS information centre, said about 180 passports were still missing.

"Of these 180 individuals, five have entered Germany according to our information."

He added: "We don't yet know how they entered Germany. We are trying to find out where they are and whether any more than five have managed to get in."

Endler played down concerns about the missing passports and whether this might increase the chance of violence during the World Cup.

"The number of missing passports has been reduced to 180 from an earlier reported 300 ... this gives us a 95 percent success rate."

The banning orders would significantly help security during the World Cup, Endler said, but he stressed authorities were not viewing the fans of England or any other country in a higher risk category.


Hooligans in Marseille, France 1998

Újpest fc - Fehérvár - 03/06/2006

Source : caboodle

Újpest hooligans on rampage

Nine policemen sustained light injuries and ten police cars were damaged in a riot near Puskás Ferenc Stadium following the first division football match between Újpest and Fehérvár on Saturday afternoon.
Fans of both teams went on the rampage following the game, before clashing with police, when eleven were taken into custody. Nationwide arrest warrants had previously been issued for two of the culprits.

Magyar Nemzet photographer, András Éberling, filed a complaint with the police after being beaten by policemen. The daily's website reported that riot police hit the photographer in the chest with a truncheon, twisted his hands and then released gas spray on a photographer from the tabloid Blikk, who had rushed to Éberling's aid.





Photos : NB1

About 300,000 Poles expected to go Cup - 07/06/2006

Source : REÜTERS

Polish authorities expect some 300,000 Poles to travel to neighbouring Germany for the World Cup finals, about seven times more than a previous estimate, Interior Minister Ludwik Dorn said.

"According to information gathered from organisers, consulates, soccer clubs and other sources...organisers expect around 300,000 Polish fans and tourists (will be) going to Germany," Dorn told a news conference.

Polish border guards earlier forecast the number of Poles travelling to the World Cup at about 40,000, some 10,000 more than the number of tickets Poles were awarded for their Group A games against Germany, Ecuador and Costa Rica.

He said a large chunk of the visitors would probably watch games on giant television screens set up in German cities.

Dorn also sought to calm fears about Polish hooligans, played up by some western media, saying the country's problem with rowdy fans was no bigger than in other nations.

Asked if Polish hooligans posed a greater risk in Germany than troublemakers from other countries, he said: "All hooligans are dangerous...but we don't have a huge problem with ours."

Police and some foreign media have focused on the possible threat from Polish hooligans at the tournament, helped by some fans grabbing headlines with promises to cross the border armed with pick-axes and knives to attack German and English fans.

Most Polish supporters say violence is rare in the domestic league but admit there is a chance that some of the hardcore hooligan element, estimated by police at up to 3,000, will travel to Germany.

Hooligan victim Nivel invited to Germany-Poland match - 07/06/2006

Source : AP

French police officer Daniel Nivel, who was beaten by German hooligans eight years ago, was invited to attend Germany's World Cup match against Poland on June 14.

The Frenchman and his family had accepted the offer by the German Soccer Federation to be its guest at the World Cup months ago, but a game hadn't been selected until yesterday.

During the 1998 World Cup in France, German thugs wielding metal bars beat Nivel into a life-threatening coma in Lens. Four were later convicted.

Two years later, the German Soccer Federation started the Daniel-Nivel-Foundation to research violence in soccer, help victims and develop preventative measures.

Hooligans staying put - 08/06/2006

Source : icSurreyOnline

FOUR football hooligans in East Surrey have had their passports confiscated by police for the duration of the World Cup.

This action was taken by Surrey Police to prevent known football hooligans from attending any matches in Germany.

The deadline for handing in their passports was on Tuesday, May 30 at 5pm.

A total of 10 football fans in the county avoided arrest by complying with the ban.

In East Surrey, four people in Horley, Newchapel, Leatherhead, and Tadworth will not be going to the World Cup after having to comply with the rule enforced under the Football Offences and Disorder Act.

Each person who has handed in their passport must also report in person to a police station on England match days to prove they have not gone to Germany.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: "We take the offences very seriously. We are going to take action on those people who do not turn up.We have their addresses and they can be arrested."

Failure to hand passports in could result in six months in prison or a £5,000 fine.

Police say there are relatively few football hooligans in Surrey, which police attribute to the absence of Premiership football clubs in the county.

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NOTORIOUS Carlisle football hooligan Paul Dodd has been charged with breaching a soccer banning order ahead of the World Cup.

Volgar-Gazprom Astrakhan - Anzhi Makhachkala - 7/06/2006

Police opression...

Riots in London docklands – 10/06/2006

Source: Reuters

A number of people were injured in a brawl involving 200 London soccer fans during a broadcast of England's first World Cup match on Saturday, police said.

People suffered head and facial injuries after the brawl broke out during the match, broadcast onto a large outdoor screen to thousands of people in the Canary Wharf financial district.

"You could see people throwing bottles at people's heads. Blood was pouring. They smashed the glass on a door," said Stephen Herniman, who watched the game at Canary Wharf. Police moved in to break up the fight, he said.

A small amount of blood was visible near a smashed glass door that leads to an underground shopping mall at Canary Wharf. Hundreds of bottles, many broken, littered the ground.

"There was a fight involving approximately 200 people," a police spokeswoman said. "Bottles were thrown and a number of people received injuries including facial and head injuries."

Some of the injured were taken to hospital, but none were thought to have life-threatening injuries.

The violence erupted during the second half of England's game against Paraguay. Witnesses said the cause of the violence was unclear.

"All we saw was bottles being thrown at people. They were ripping branches off trees and hitting people over the head. It was absolutely disgusting. We can't even watch our own nation play football," said Dan Honey, 18.

The screen was switched off during the second half of the game because of fighting, witnesses said. The second screen was also switched off for the day.

Source: AP

Up to 200 football fans were caught up in a mass brawl during a big screen showing of the England-Paraguay game.
Bottles were thrown as tempers rose in a section of the crowd in the shadow of Canary Wharf in London docklands, Scotland Yard said.
Six people were left with minor injuries and were treated at the scene by an ambulance crew. No one was taken to hospital, said a London Ambulance Service spokeswoman.
But thousands of other fans were left disappointed when the screen was shut down as police moved in to restore order and disperse the crowd. A total of up to 6,000 people had massed in front of Canary Wharf at kick-off time, according to police estimates.
But trouble erupted during the second half and police were called in at about 3.30pm and began to disperse the crowd. It was not clear what sparked the disturbance.
There were no other reports of football related violence in the capital during the match, police added.
Meanwhile in Germany England's world cup campaign got off to the start British police wanted, with only two arrests of British people in Frankfurt overnight.
Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Thomas of Greater Manchester police said: "There was a fairly tense atmosphere at times, and some very good work from the Frankfurt police, moving in at the right time, with the help of our spotting operation, to defuse issues."
One Briton and two Irishmen were arrested for allegedly causing criminal damage to cars.
He added that some 20 to 30 England fans had an altercation with "a group of Hells Angels who seem to run the red light district". Three Hells Angels and a Canadian were arrested, but no English.

Twenty English fans arrested in Germany – 11/06/2006

Source: Reuters

Twenty England World Cup fans were arrested in Germany on Saturday, a British police spokeswoman said on Sunday.
She added that 70,000 England fans were thought to have been in Frankfurt for the match. It had been estimated before the tournament that 25,000-30,000 would be in the western German city.
"We understand there were 70,000 English people in Frankfurt yesterday so we see a figure of 12 arrests as quite positive," the spokeswoman said.
Twelve of the arrests were made in Frankfurt, where Sven-Goran Eriksson's team won their opening Group B match 1-0 against Paraguay, and eight in Cologne.
Two were for alleged assault and criminal damage outside the ground and the pair will appear in court in Frankfurt later on Sunday, she said.
Four arrests were made at the game, two fans were trying to steal tickets from other England fans and two had swastikas painted on their bodies.
The latter two have been bailed to reappear at a police station but there will be no further action taken against the former pair.
There were also four arrests and fines for criminal damage and public order offences and two for possession of cannabis for which no further action was taken.
The spokeswoman had no details of the arrests in Cologne.

Troubles in Liverpool - 10/06/2006

Source: IcLiverpool

Home-grown violence mars victory

Hooligan football fans caused more trouble at home than in Germany as England launched their World Cup campaign.

Hundreds of fans were caught up in fighting at big screen showings in London and Liverpool of England's 1-0 victory over Paraguay.

A total of 16 people were injured - including six taken to hospital - when a mass brawl involving about 200 people broke out in the crowd at Canary Wharf in London where up to 6,000 people were watching an outdoor screening of the match.

At almost the same moment, during England's laboured second half, trouble broke out in front of a big screen in Liverpool City Centre with fans hurling missiles.

Several people were arrested during the Liverpool disturbance. In both cases transmission of the match was shut down as police moved to contain the situation and disperse the crowds.

Arrests Over SS Insignias -11/06/2006

Source: Skynews

Two England football fans were arrested in Frankfurt for breaking German law by flaunting SS insignias.

The fans, aged 21 and 24 and from Bolton, Greater Manchester, were held at the Waldstadion as England beat Paraguay 1-0.

Both men, who had daubed the symbols on their bare torsos, were released after paying a surety and allowed to remain in the country but may be prosecuted later.

Robert Schaefer, the operational commander of German police in Frankfurt, said they were among a total of 13 England fans arrested in the city on Saturday. None remain in custody.

The others were held for offences including assault and criminal damage, public order matters, being drunk and disorderly, trying to steal match tickets and possessing cannabis.

There were also eight arrests in Cologne early today outside the railway station for public order and assault matters.

Mr Schaefer said there were 65,000 English fans in Frankfurt and the atmosphere was "euphoric".

He said: "There were not a great number of incidents and it was minor stuff.

"Overall, there were 80 arrests over the last few days from various nationalities. But it was nothing extraordinary for a big event like a World Cup."

He said three police officers were injured - one female officer was taken to hospital after being hit by a flying bottle in Romerberg Square, one suffered a minor hand injury and one was hurt in an accident.

A total of 130 people of all nationalities had been banned from certain areas of the city like public squares, he said.

Russia: Wildlegion (FC Rostov) vs "triple coalition" (Dynamo Stavropol', SKA Rostov-na-Donu, Rotor Volgograd) - 11/06/2006

Source: ermolovfront.nm.ru



Rostov




coalition




























Video: http://www.wildlegion.ru/video/11.06.06.W.L._vs_Coalition.wmv

Germany - Poland - 14/06/2006

Source: AP

DORTMUND, Germany - Police arrested 40 Polish fans ahead of Wednesday's World Cup match between Germany and Poland, a sign they wouldn't tolerate trouble surrounding a game circled for its hooliganism potential.

Four known hooligans were arrested near the soccer stadium and found to have knives after Polish police in town for the game pointed them out to German authorities, Dortmund police spokesman Georg Blaszyk said.

"They won't be seeing the game," he said.

The other 36, most arrested near the city center, also were known hooligans, Blaszyk said.

The threat of hooliganism — particularly from English, Dutch and Polish fans — has been a security theme at the tournament. A recent spate of hooliganism in Poland has raised fears of violence from the country's fans, though there were few reported disturbances after their team's 2-0 loss to Ecuador last week.

Despite Wednesday's arrests, World Cup police headquarters spokesman Frank Scheulen described Dortmund as very quiet, with fewer incidents than before a normal German league game.

Authorities have said they're confident that the encounter between hosts Germany and Poland — a game laden with symbolism given Germany's World War II invasion of neighboring Poland — will remain peaceful.

"We are well prepared for potentially violent groups traveling to Germany," Dortmund's police said in a statement Wednesday.

Last week, German police increased checks on the Polish border. A special train carrying about 800 Polish fans to Dortmund also included Polish and German police as passengers, said Rafal Wasiak, the spokesman for Polish police working in Germany.

"There hasn't been any violence or problems with Polish fans abroad with the national team for over 10 years," Wasiak said. "We hope that's how it will be in Dortmund."

Seeming tranquility in World Cup-hosting cities so far has dissipated much of the fear over widespread hooliganism at soccer's biggest event and surprised police forces which had braced for the worst.

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Source: Reuters

German police detain 300 fans in Dortmund

Police detained at least 300 German and Polish fans following clashes ahead of their World Cup Group A match on Wednesday in the worst outbreak of trouble at the tournament so far.

German fans pelted police with beer bottles, fireworks and the chairs and tables from restaurants near Dortmund's Alter Markt, according to a Reuters eyewitness.

view photo In separate clashes nearby smaller groups of drunken German and Polish fans set on each other, police said.

A Reuters TV cameraman suffered slight injuries after he was punched in the back of the head during the violence.

Police said some people had been injured by missiles, but none of them were badly hurt. They added that fan held in custody would be released in stages while others would face charges.

"Expectations of trouble proved self-fulfilling and made things very difficult for police," said Dortmund police chief Hans Schulze.

"We needed people on almost every corner today as the potential for aggression was so high... there was not a good mood in Dortmund today," he added.

GERMAN HOOLIGANS

Hundreds of riot police closed off the Alter Markt in the early evening after police spotted known German hooligans who were behaving increasingly aggressively. They then moved in to take about 100 people away.

Police had earlier detained about 70 Polish fans known to authorities as "problem fans" some armed with metal batons and other dangerous objects.

At first the mood in Dortmund was largely friendly with noisy supporters drinking beer in the sunshine, but it turned darker as a group of German skinheads wearing black T-shirts and drinking on the Alter Markt began to behave threateningly.

"What surprised us was the sheer number of fans who showed themselves ready to turn aggressive," said Schulze, adding that of the 300 people detained about 120-130 were known hooligans.

"We had hooligans here but they did not attack each other. Rather we had extremely drunk fans who set on police and then on each other."

Tens of thousands of Germany and Poland supporters descended on the western German city to watch their teams in the match which kicked off at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. British time), but for months the game has prompted fears of fan violence.

Last November about 100 German and Polish supporters brawled near the border.

Earlier on Wednesday, one group of German fans greeted their neighbours with the Hitler salute -- a criminal offence in the host country.

The relationship between the two countries, and especially the soccer fans, has been tense and marred by history as Poland suffered greatly under German occupation in World War Two.

Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine

Five England fans arrested in Nuremberg - 15/06/2006

Source: Reuters

Five England fans were arrested in Nuremberg overnight ahead of their side's World Cup Group B game against Trinidad & Tobago, a British police spokeswoman said on Thursday.

Three of the fans have since been released without charge while two are in custody for undisclosed offences, the spokeswoman for a team of British police officers working in Germany said.

Up to 70,000 England supporters are expected to descend on the city for England's 6 p.m. (5 p.m. British time) game.

England played their opening match in Frankfurt, beating Paraguay 1-0, and while police said there were some tense moments involving drunken English fans, there has been no widespread trouble so far.

On Wednesday night, several hundred England supporters gathered outside an Irish bar in the centre of Nuremberg, with some singing songs about World War Two.

Riot police closed off part of the street to prevent German fans from moving into the area.

England play their last group game against Sweden on Tuesday in Cologne.

Hundreds held by police after German and Polish fans clash - 15/06/2006

Source: AFP

DORTMUND (AFP) - Police said they had arrested 429 people overnight after German hooligans sparked fighting before the World Cup match between Germany and Poland.

A police spokesman said 33 people were lightly injured in the fighting that spelled the end of a five trouble-free days at the World Cup, including a policeman who was bitten in the leg by a supporter.

He said the arrests included 278 Germans and 119 Poles, and that more than a hundred were hooligans already known to the police.

By Thursday morning, all but three of the trouble-makers had been released, though 96 were expected to face charges. The police were planning to hear testimony from people who were hurt or suffered damage to property.

The Germany v Poland match, which the hosts won 1-0, had been seen by organisers as a security risk because of clashes last year between hooligans from the neighbouring countries.

But the violence on Wednesday night pitted German and Polish hooligans against the police rather than each other.

At one point 148 Germans, most of them drunk, threw bottles and chairs at police as they tried to move fans out of the centre of the city. Riot police then chased several dozen fans through the city.

A police spokesman said the fans had played "cat and mouse" with police.

Some of the Poles were carrying potentially dangerous items while others were on a list of known Polish hooligans.

The vice-president of the World Cup Organising Committee, Wolfgang Niersbach, said 30 Polish hooligans were detained as they were sitting in a bus after police had received intelligence from Polish officers.

Niersbach said he deeply regretted that the incidents had taken place ahead of a match attended by Daniel Nivel, the French riot policeman left brain-damaged in a savage attack by German thugs at a 1998 World Cup match in Lens, France.

FIFA spokesman Markus Siegler said the world governing body was "absolutely disgusted" by the incidents in Dortmund, but said it had "full confidence in the security plan".

"I believe the Germans and their authorities have proved they are on top of the crowd control and they controlled the situation very quickly."

England's once notorious fans were praised by police for their behaviour in Frankfurt on Saturday, but thousands of officers were on the streets of the former Nazi stronghold of Nuremberg for England's match against Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.

England - Trinidad & Tobago - 15/06/2006

Source: AP

Twenty-six England fans detained overnight

NUREMEBERG, June 16 (Reuters) - Twenty-six England supporters were detained by police in Nuremberg either before or after their side's 2-0 World Cup Group B win against Trinidad & Tobago, a British police spokeswoman said on Friday.

Sixteen fans were held at the stadium for climbing fences, possession of drugs or stealing tickets, the spokeswoman for the British team of police officers working in Germany said.

The 16 have now all been released with some fines.

Ten fans were picked up in the town, with six held for assault, one for drunkenness, two for working as ticket touts and one selling forged tickets.

The spokeswoman said these cases were still ongoing and it was not clear how many were still in police custody.

British police refer to the cases as arrests but in German law officers can hold people for several hours to allow them to calm down and these incidents are not always classified as arrests.

A spokesman for Nuremberg police said he was aware of 25 arrests in the city overnight but he did not know how many of those involved England fans.

Some 50,000 England supporters were expected to be in the medieval city for the game. Those who did not get tickets watched the match on big screens and the evening passed off smoothly, with fans singing and drinking into the night.

Police patrolling the area looked relaxed, smiling and chatting to England supporters.

England play their last Group B match against Sweden in Cologne on Tuesday.

Partizan Beograd - Red Star Beograd - BASKET BALL FINAL - 15/06/2006

Source: mail

Riots occured, opposing fans to police forces inside the stands.
Police forces also used gunshots in the streets at the end of the game.

Video: http://www.delije.net/av/kosarka/0506/0506_par_cz_2_2.wmv