Season 05/06 - June

'Violence risk' at Sweden - England match - 18/06/2006

Source : THE LOCAL

There is a major risk of violence during Sweden's World Cup football match against England in Cologne on Tuesday.

Swedish police have said that the match is considered one of the tournament's highest risk games, Svenska Dagbladet reports.

All matches involving Sweden or England have so far been largely trouble-free. The only major violence occurred during the Germany- Poland match last week.

Lennart Pettersson, head of a special Swedish police contingent at the World Cup, told SvD that there were a number of conditions that made the match risky. One major factor was that the match will decide who meets Germany in the next round.

Pettersson also said that the small arena in Cologne - one of the smallest in the World Cup, taking only 44,000 spectators - made the situation riskier. Some 40,000 England supporters are expected to turn up for the match.

"If the match were to take place in Berlin most people would get into the stadium. The problems in Cologne will occur outside the stadium," he said.

British authorities have banned 3,500 known hooligans from leaving the UK during the World Cup. Some 17 high-risk Swedish supporters have already been turned away at the German border.

Sweden has 22 police in Germany and the UK 80 to help German colleagues combat football-related violence.

Seven injured as Bosnian Croat soccer fans rampage - 14/06/2006

Source : Reüters

One person was shot and six policemen were hurt when Bosnian Croat soccer fans clashed with Muslims and police in the southern city of Mostar late on Tuesday after a World Cup game, police said.

Croats from the western part of Mostar stoned buildings and damaged cars in the square along the 1992-95 wartime frontline after watching Croatia lose 1-0 to Brazil in a World Cup match in Berlin, police said.

They clashed with youths from the Muslim side of the city in the square and riot police had to intervene to separate them, police said in a statement.

One person was seriously injured by gunfire and 26 people were arrested in the incident, it added.

Mostar was the scene of heavy fighting between Muslims and Croats in 1993. It remains divided. A great majority of Bosnian Croats view neighbouring Croatia as their homeland and support its national sports teams.

One Muslim woman was killed by celebratory fire from the western part of Mostar after Croatia beat Germany in the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup in France.

Munich police arrest 23 Brazilians, one Australian - 18/06/2006

Source : REÜTERS

Police arrested 23 Brazilians and one Australian on Sunday in Munich, where the South American side secured a place in the World Cup's last 16 by beating the Socceroos 2-0.

Police said they made a total of 51 arrests during the day, mainly for theft and trading offences but that fans had generally behaved well. "The Munich police are very happy with the way the day has gone," the Munich police headquarters said in a statement.

Lada-2 Toliatty - Sokol Saratov - 17/06/2006

Source: unitedrats.com

~300 Krylya Sovetov lads came from Samara for clash with guests or\and locals

Ukraine - Saudi Arabia - 19/06/2006

Source : AP

Police on alert as more fans arrive at World Cup - 20/06/2006

Source : AP

German and British police warned that the World Cup's off-the-field calm could be tested today as both Germany and England play key games.

About 50,000 England fans are expected in Cologne for their team's night match against Sweden. By that time, fans across Germany may be celebrating their team's earlier game against Ecuador in Berlin.

Even though both teams already are through to the next round, authorities have expressed concerns that hooligans from both countries could clash with each other and police.

Early today, a dozen England fans were arrested in Cologne after tossing bottles at German riot police. Sixteen officers were injured, but none seriously.

And more fans are coming. At Cologne-Bonn Airport, more than 100 fan-filled charter flights from both England and Sweden were scheduled to land throughout today.

England - Sweden - 20/06/2006

Source: Reuters

German and England fans held in Cologne

A large gang of known German hooligans and 22 England fans were detained in Cologne either before or after the World Cup Group B match against Sweden, police said on Wednesday.

In an isolated incident, riot police detained a large group of German soccer hooligans who were drinking in a bar in the centre of town.

A Cologne police spokesman said the group was thought to number about 50 hooligans but the city's police president later said he thought some 30 had been held.

"They were resisting their detention and it was not all peaceful," Cologne police spokesman Bernd Kalkum said, adding that all the men detained were registered as trouble-makers and would be kept overnight.

Tens of thousands of England and Sweden fans had poured into the historic World Cup host city for their side's third group match while German supporters were also celebrating their team's 3-0 win over Ecuador earlier in the day.

MINOR OFFENCES

A spokeswoman for a team of British police officers working in Germany said the English arrests were mostly for minor offences with 11 held at the stadium for trying to get in without tickets and 11 in the town.

The evening in Cologne, where England drew 2-2 to go top of Group B, passed off mainly peacefully although there was one standoff between England fans and German riot police with the supporters throwing glasses and chairs.

The police dispersed the crowd quickly and Cologne Police president Klaus Steffenhagen told Reuters TV he was pleased with the situation.

"It was a difficult situation but there were enough policemen around," he said. "They handled the situation with great professionalism."

The police had expected some 60,000 England supporters to be in the city for the game and 10,000 Swedish fans.

England will now play Ecuador in the second round in Stuttgart on Sunday.




























*****************

Source: Dagbladet

Riots occured in Oslo, in a pub in the city centre of the town, opposing Swedish and English fans. A few were injured.

Excitement blamed for 3 deaths in China - 21/06/2006

Source: Reuters

Over-excitement during World Cup games has been blamed for the deaths of at least three fans in China and one man broke several bones when he fell from a Hong Kong balcony, the Shanghai Daily reported on Wednesday.

The rash of disasters had prompted doctors to urge fans to monitor their moods during games and keep an eye on their drinking and blood pressure, it said.

China is obsessed with football but is six hours ahead of Germany, meaning many of the games are shown late at night or in the early hours of the morning -- peak drinking times.

A young man named Wang, watching a game on June 10 at a bar in Changsha, the capital of southern Hunan province, drank too much and died at four the following morning, the newspaper said.

Four days later, a woman surnamed Wei, who suffered from high blood pressure, was watching South Korea vs Togo in Hangzhou, near Shanghai.

"She took a shower, went to bed and later died," the newspaper said.

The same day, Li Zhenbao, 27, died in his sleep in Hong Kong after staying up all night to watch three games in a row.

"Doctors suspected he died of a heart attack brought on by over-excitement," the newspaper said.

Ge Zuquan, 29, grew so excited during the game between the Netherlands and Ivory Coast that he ran to his fourth-floor Hong Kong balcony and jumped in the air.

"But he bounced over the railing," the newspaper said. "Doctors said he could have been paralyzed."

As it was, he merely broke bones in his spine, hip, ankle and wrist.

Organisers play down Cologne violence - 21/06/2006

Source: Reuters

World Cup organisers played down Tuesday night's violence at the England-Sweden match in Cologne saying there was often more trouble at German League matches.

A large gang of known German hooligans and 22 England fans were detained in Cologne either before or after the Group B match which finished in a 2-2 draw, police said on Wednesday.

Gerd Graus, spokesman for the German World Cup organising committee, said at FIFA's daily media briefing in Berlin: "There were about 100 arrests but there were a lot less incidents than at German League matches.

"There was some trouble but it was dealt with very quickly, and considering the numbers of people in Cologne for the match and the numbers in the city, it is an insignificant number.

"From the point of view of the organising committee, I have to say that we really have such a cloudless blue sky, it's almost worrying."

In one incident in Cologne, riot police detained a large group of German soccer hooligans who were drinking in a bar in the centre of town.

A Cologne police spokesman said the group was thought to number about 50 hooligans but the city's police president later said he thought some 30 had been held.

"They were resisting their detention and it was not all peaceful," Cologne police spokesman Bernd Kalkum said, adding that all the men detained were registered as trouble-makers and would be kept overnight.

Tens of thousands of England and Sweden fans had poured into the historic World Cup host city for their side's third group match while German supporters were also celebrating their team's 3-0 win over Ecuador earlier in the day.


MINOR OFFENCES

A spokeswoman for a team of British police officers working in Germany said the English arrests were mostly for minor offences with 11 held at the stadium for trying to get in without tickets and 11 in the town.

The evening in Cologne, where England drew 2-2 to finish top of Group B, passed off mainly peacefully although there was one standoff between England fans and German riot police with the supporters throwing glasses and chairs.

The police dispersed the crowd quickly and Cologne Police president Klaus Steffenhagen told Reuters TV he was pleased with the situation.

"It was a difficult situation but there were enough policemen around," he said. "They handled the situation with great professionalism."

The police had expected some 60,000 England supporters to be in the city for the game and 10,000 Swedish fans.

England will now play Ecuador in the second round in Stuttgart on Sunday.

Politicians bet on safer Euro 2008 - 22/06/2006

Source : Swissinfo

Parliament has agreed to a SFr82.5 million ($66.9 million) funding package for the 2008 European football championship to be hosted by Switzerland and Austria.

The amount is higher than the government's original proposal and comes amid controversy over the spiralling costs of the Euro 2008 tournament.

On Thursday, the Senate took its cue from the House of Representatives. It approved an additional SFr10.5 million to help the host cities, Zurich, Basel, Geneva and the capital, Bern, boost security.

During earlier debates, senators had come out against extra state funding, saying the cantonal and local authorities should increase their contributions.

Sports Minister Samuel Schmid said he would seek a clear-cut deal with the cities and the cantonal police authorities in a bid to avoid overstepping the budget.

Thursday's agreement comes after weeks of debate in parliament. Politicians were particularly unhappy after the original cost estimate of SFr3.5 million suffered a more than 20-fold increase.

The country's 26 cantons and the local authorities are to contribute about SFr100 million towards the costs. But Euro 2008 is expected to generate sales of up to SFr315 million for the Swiss economy.

Hooligans

The debate over security at sports events was given new momentum in May following one of the worst incidents of post-match violence in Swiss football.

Hundreds of people went on the rampage in Basel in the wake of a decisive match between the local team and Swiss champions, FC Zurich.

Schmid has called for increased action against hooligans, including a ban on alcohol around stadiums.

Parliament earlier this year approved a series of measures – limited until the end of 2009 - to crack down on violent fans, including a national hooligan database, travel restrictions for known troublemakers and increased police powers.

However, a group of football supporters are challenging the planned regulations and calling for a nationwide vote.

Data protection experts have warned that the planned database is unconstitutional.

About 100 hooligans arrested early Saturday - 24/06/2006

Source : AP

English fans appeared heavily intoxicated a day before match vs. Ecuador

Police said Saturday morning they had arrested about 100 English soccer fans after disturbances in a main square, a day ahead of England’s second-round World Cup match against Ecuador.

Police were called to the scene after fans, some of whom appeared heavily intoxicated, began throwing bottles and glasses at passers-by from the terrace of a pub, Stuttgart’s police said.

A few were immediately taken into custody, and the rest after officers were pelted as well.

“English fans were shown by this action that aggressive drinking, violence and mobbing will be prevented,” police chief Michael Kuehner said in a statement.

“They are all still in detention,” spokesman Stefan Keilbach told The Associated Press. He declined to comment further.

English officers assisting their German counterparts in heading off potential fan violence helped in calming the situation, police said. There were no injuries reported.

England play Ecuador for a place in the World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday.

About 50,000 England fans are expected to travel to Stuttgart for the match and will be greeted with a heavy police presence — about 1,800 officers on patrol along with British police.

Stephen Thomas, an assistant chief constable from Manchester and part of the British contingent, said Friday he was optimistic that there would be no major fan violence.

“You will not see any English hooligans here in Stuttgart — what you will see is English drunks,” he said. “I apologize now for that, but it is very good for the economy.”

Previous England games in Cologne, Nuremberg and Frankfurt were relatively calm — giving organizers a pleasant surprise in view of England’s past reputation for hooliganism.

Thomas said that of 3,842 people arrested during the first two weeks of the tournament, only 135 were English.

“Many of those were drunk, and many were desperately trying to get to the stadium,” he said.

At least 300 England fans detained in Stuttgart - 25/06/2006

Source : REÜTERS

At least 300 England soccer supporters were detained in Stuttgart overnight after they clashed with German fans, throwing bottles, tables and chairs in a square in the city centre, officials said.

A spokeswoman for Britain's Home Office working in Germany said the fans had been held under "preventative" powers and were now being released but said they would be banned from returning to the area.

On Friday, over 100 England supporters were detained for mostly aggressive and drunken behaviour after thousands of England supporters descended on Stuttgart for their side's second-round match against Ecuador later on Sunday.

Some 40,000 English and German fans had gathered in Stuttgart's main Schlossplatz square on Saturday to watch Germany's 2-0 second-round victory over Sweden on giant TV screens.

Trouble broke out shortly after the game finished in one corner of the square, with around 300 fans on either side throwing glass bottles and chairs before riot police moved in to separate them.

After an uneasy standoff, the two sets of fans again threw glass bottles at each other, prompting the riot police to drive the German fans out of the area.
They then removed the England supporters one by one before taking them to the local police station in an operation that lasted for several hours.

"The cells will be very busy tonight," Stuttgart police spokesman Stefan Kielbach said, adding that they had had to act to prevent trouble from continuing all night.

He said both sets of fans had been to blame for the trouble and some German supporters were also seen being dragged away by riot police.

Of the 300 detentions, two are expected to go to court with one for assault and resisting police and one for throwing bottles.

VIOLENT HISTORY

The English have a long history of soccer-related violence but there had been little trouble in Germany so far, with only a small number of arrests for mostly drunken behaviour or people trying to get into a stadium without a ticket.

However 122 people were detained in Stuttgart on Friday night for drunken and aggressive behaviour and they are expected to be held in custody until the game on Sunday has been played. Under German law police can detain individuals for threatening behaviour or if they suspect they are likely to commit a crime and it does not constitute a full arrest.

German police brush off WC trouble - 25/06/2006

Source: Teamtalk

German organisers have played down trouble involving England fans in Stuttgart and insisted the scale of the problem is a small one.More than 300 fans are in police custody following two nights of incidents and are expected to be detained until after Sunday's match with Ecuador.

Around 70,000 England are estimated to be in Stuttgart and 100,000 Germans turned up at the fan park in the city to watch the hosts play Sweden, and it was after this that trouble flared.

Jens Grittner, spokesman for the German World Cup organising committee, said: "Police intervened immediately and we are very happy about that, but these incidents have nothing to do with hooliganism - it was not people who were known to the police.

"We are not that worried - if you consider the huge amount of people partying peacefully in Germany you must regard this as an exception.

"This can happen at any kind of party. We don't want to reduce the seriousness of this but we must compliment the police for their immediate intervention."

German police arrest 300 England fans after clashes - 25/06/2006

Source: AFP

STUTTGART (AFP) - German police are bracing for a tense day here after 300 England fans were arrested overnight following clashes with German supporters ahead of England's latest World Cup match.

Trouble flared after England fans, many of whom had been drinking in pubs and bars all day, began exchanging insults with German fans who were in a square in the city centre to watch Germany's match against Sweden on giant TV screens.

An AFP photographer at the scene said riot police conducted baton charges and used pepper spray to disperse thousands of German fans.

When both sets of fans began throwing bottles and tables from pubs and bars police, some of them on horseback, created a barrier to separate the two groups.

English troublemakers were restrained with plastic handcuffs and led away.

"The action of the police prevented the situation getting worse," said police spokesman Uwe Schmid.

A total of 380 people were arrested, including 300 England fans. Most were released but were banned from entering the centre of the city until Monday morning.

England were playing Ecuador in a last 16 match in the city at 1500 GMT on Sunday.

The Stuttgart police had indicated they would take a tough approach with fans who became abusive or violent after drinking. Police spokesmen said the city had not experienced any problems with fans from other countries.

An estimated 70,000 English fans are believed to be in Stuttgart.

England's once infamous supporters were praised by police for their behaviour in their country's first two matches, in Frankfurt and Nuremberg.

But there were scuffles in Cologne following England's 2-2 draw with Sweden in their final first-round match on Wednesday, although most of the 137 rowdy fans detained there were German.

Fans Freed After Violence - 25/06/2006

Source: Skynews

More than 300 English football fans arrested after clashes in Stuttgart have been released.

They have been banned from the city centre but will be allowed into England's match against Ecuador - if they have a ticket.

Labour party chairman Hazel Blears said the violence and arrests were a blot on the "fantastic record the fans have so far".

She told Sky News' Sunday Live: "The scenes are disappointing, but hopefully that's managed to take the heat out of the situation and everybody can get out and enjoy the football today."

"Giving people time to cool off overnight then releasing them so the ones who have got tickets can actually watch the match is probably a good tactic."

German riot police intervened to separate German and England fans after bottles and bar furniture was thrown in the main square.

The crowds had been watching the Germans beat Sweden on big screens.

Several hundred England fans were drinking on steps at the back of the square and began taunting the German fans in front of them.

Shortly after the game finished, they began throwing plastic chairs and bottles at German fans, who retaliated by throwing some back.

Dozens of riot police, who had been observing nearby, moved in and pushed German fans away before cordoning off a group of England fans on the steps.

An ambulance arrived. One man in a Germany shirt was seen with his face covered in blood.

The England fans continued an uneasy stand-off with a line of riot police and several more bottles were thrown sporadically by England and Germany fans.

Around 30,000 England fans are expected to attend the Ecuador match in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium.

VIDEOS:

http://www.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,30100-football_p15728,00.html

http://www.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-stuttgart_p15768,00.html

German police release England fans after clashes - 25/06/2006

Source: AFP

STUTTGART (AFP) - Hundreds of England fans arrested after clashing with German supporters ahead of England's latest World Cup match have released from custody.

A total of 380 people, including some Germans, were arrested on Saturday and all of those released were banned from entering the centre of the southern city until Monday morning.

Trouble flared after England fans, many of whom had been drinking all day, traded insults with German fans who were in a square in the city centre to watch Germany's match against Sweden on giant TV screens.

When both sets of fans began throwing bottles and tables from pubs and bars police, some of them on horseback, created a barrier to separate the two groups.

English troublemakers were restrained with plastic handcuffs and led away as police sought to defuse a tense situation.

"The action of the police prevented the situation getting worse," said police spokesman Uwe Schmid Sunday.

Police said they did not have space to keep all of the fans in custody in proper conditions.

Despite the banning orders, those with tickets were allowed to attend England's match against Ecuador which was kicking off at 1500 GMT on Sunday.

A total of 500 fans have been detained since Friday night in Stuttgart in the worst incidents involving England fans since the World Cup started two weeks ago.

However, the 117 English fans arrested on Friday will not be freed until Monday morning because they were spread around a number of prisons.

Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Thomas, the most senior British police officer advising the German authorities: "It is with great regret on my part that we see English supporters or English people, because I don't consider them to be supporters, behaving this way.

"The vast majority of our supporters who will be arriving later today will be very different."

Thomas explained that the high numbers of arrests was because German police had the power to intervene earlier than police would in similar crowd trouble in Britain.

The Stuttgart police had indicated they would take a tough approach with fans who became abusive or violent after drinking, although the police and bar owners in the city said they had not experienced any problems with fans from other countries.

An estimated 70,000 English fans were believed to be in Stuttgart.

England's once infamous supporters were praised by German police for their behaviour in their country's first two matches, in Frankfurt and Nuremberg.

But there were scuffles in Cologne following England's 2-2 draw with Sweden in their final first-round match on Wednesday, although most of the 137 rowdy fans detained there were German.

Three British football fans were in hospital after their car left the Frankfurt to Cologne motorway and crashed into a barrier, police said.

Police Not Unduly Worried By Trouble - 25/06/2006

Source: Sportinglife.com

German organisers have played down trouble involving England fans in Stuttgart and insisted the scale of the problem is small compared to the numbers of supporters at the World Cup overall.

More than 300 fans are in police custody following two nights of incidents and are expected to be detained until after today's match with Ecuador.

Around 70,000 England are estimated to be in Stuttgart and 100,000 Germans turned up at the fan park in the city to watch the hosts play Sweden, and it was after this that trouble flared.

Jens Grittner, spokesman for the German World Cup organising committee, said: "Police intervened immediately and we are very happy about that, but these incidents have nothing to do with hooliganism - it was not people who were known to the police.

"We are not that worried - if you consider the huge amount of people partying peacefully in Germany you must regard this as an exception.

"This can happen at any kind of party. We don't want to reduce the seriousness of this but we must compliment the police for their immediate intervention."

Nearly 500 arrested in weekend scuffles during World Cup - 26/06/2006

Source : AP

British and German police were helped by heavy rain that had most fans running for someplace dry after a weekend that saw hundreds of arrests.

Fears that the fan violence that gripped Stuttgart the previous day would be repeated on Sunday were erased by England's 1-0 win against Ecuador and the driving rain.

Police spokesman Olaf Petersen said nine fans were arrested for minor offenses on Sunday. That paled compared with Saturday when police arrested 400 English, as well as 14 Germans, following a clash between fans from the two countries.

All but three were released Sunday morning, in part because of a lack of detention space, police spokesman Stephan Keilbach said.

The fans were banned from the downtown area until Monday morning, though Keilbach said police would only know of violations if the fans caused more problems. All those arrested and released had been photographed, but Keilbach said it was impractical to hand out so many pictures to all the officers on patrol.

The arrests followed a clash with police earlier Saturday during which 122 English were arrested. Of those, 117 were being kept in custody until Monday.

In the free open-air viewing area Sunday, middle-aged couples and families with children -- some carrying the German flag -- mingled with fans clad in flags or walking around shirtless to bare patriotic tattoos.

"It's a party. We're here to have fun," whooped Kevin Penfold as he swapped his red England shirt for an Ecuadorean one worn by Ana Cecilia Pinos Flores, who struggled to put on her sweat-soaked acquisition.

Nearby, an English fan with his chest hairs dyed ginger and shaved in the shape of a cross grinned benignly in an alcoholic daze as his friends covered him in a flag. Others bellowed songs about downing German bombers in World War II.

Nearly 2,000 police officers patrolled this normally pristine southern city, a force boosted by hooligan experts from England. It was a model of cooperation that so far this World Cup has helped prevent widespread trouble.

Dynamo Vologda - Volga Tver' - 22/06/2006

Source: lads.mysoccer.ru

At this match came hools from Cherepovets for fight with locals.

Police use technology to identify football hooligans - 30/06/2006

Source : Computing

As England’s World Cup quarter-final match with Portugal approaches, UK police are turning to innovative technology to help in the fight against hooliganism.

A Portable Passport Reader is being used at Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow airports, and at Dover and Waterloo international terminals to try and identify known football hooligans and stop them from leaving the country.

Some 3,500 known football hooligans were issued with banning orders before the World Cup which required them to hand in their passports, but some 200 offenders failed to do so.

Since the World Cup began, 160,000 passports have been scanned nationwide. Luton Airport has used the device to scan over 37,000 passports and over 60 arrests have been made at Luton alone.

The passport reader, developed by mobile data experts APD Communications, is no bigger than a standard-sized briefcase and comprises a notebook computer, modem, document reader, remote battery and mains charger.

It is fairly lightweight and can therefore be used by customs officials or police officers travelling on international trains or ferries to check the passports of those on board for banning orders or other ‘flags’.

'We've managed to control those hooligans that we knew about, however as we saw from the troubles last week there is a lot of joe publics out there who will behave violently,' said Tim Royle, of Bedfordshire Police Special Branch.

The Passport Reader could be further developed by police to be less cumbersome.

'At the moment it's very heavy,' said Royle. 'The utopian view is that they could be hand sized, and could be used by officers walking around. It's size is its biggest hinderance at the moment.'

German hooligans plan to attack English fans - 30/06/2006

Source : Times Online

Organised gangs of German hooligans have threatened to provoke fights with English supporters when England play in Gelsenkirchen this weekend.

Germany's federal football unit has thwarted two attempts by groups of troublemakers in the north-west of the country to attack rival supporters visiting the country for the World Cup.

They are on high alert for a third effort at creating confrontation when 80,000 English fans flood into Gelsenkirchen for their team's quarter-final clash with Portugal.

In a further attempt to keep order, more than 120 English people detained during disorder in Stuttgart have been banned from entering Gelsenkirchen or Munich, where England would play if they reach the semi-final.

Judges have been placed on standby in Gelsenkirchen and nearby Essen to authorise "preventative detentions" if there is disorder surrounding the game.
The Times has learned that hooligan gangs associated with German football clubs in Gelsenkirchen, Cologne and Dusseldorf have been collaborating with the intention of fighting foreign supporters.

"These groups are being constantly monitored by the German national spotting teams but they pose a serious threat of disorder," said a senior police source.
"They have tried to cause trouble before and they are expected to try again when England go to Gelsenkirchen."

Saturday's match venue is a small industrial city which is home to Schalke 04, one of the most passionately supported teams in Germany. A gang of troublemakers who call themselves the Gelsenszena have attached themselves to the team.

German police intelligence, and evidence of hooligan activity during the tournament so far, suggests that this gang has joined forces with at least two others, the Streetfighters from Cologne and the First Class Fighters from Dusseldorf to provoke violence.

Members of the hooligan gangs came together in Dortmund on June 9 to seek a confrontation with Polish football hooligans on the night that Germany played Poland.

Police succeeded in separating the rival fans and the German hooligans attacked the riot squads instead, throwing beer bottles, chairs, tables and fireworks. More than 30 people were injured including one policeman who was bitten on the calf.

Of the 429 people arrested during the fighting, almost 300 were German nationals. But only a handful faced criminal charges; the rest were detained in preventative custody and subsequently released.

Some of those set free re-appeared in Cologne last week hoping to start a fight with English fans on the night that England played Sweden there. Prior intelligence enabled German officers to follow the hooligans as they gathered in the centre of Cologne's old town.

The British police unit at the World Cup was surprised to find the German national football "spotting" team - which identifies and gathers intelligence on hooligans - in Cologne where England were playing rather than in Berlin where Germany played on the same day.

Local police also enlisted the help of the Bavarian riot squad - the country's elite public order unit - to deal with the threat. Those officers, in black helmets and body armour, were deployed at the end of the England game and raided two bars in Cologne's Alter Markt. In one they arrested 18 known category C hooligans and in another they detained around 80 Germans who threw bottles and glasses.

German hooligan gangs have a reputation for being well-organised. British police have been shown videos of a hooligan training camp where young men were divided into teams wearing different coloured t-shirts and taught how to incite and take part in crowd violence.

Gangs from rival clubs clash in pre-arranged fights away from stadiums and before the World Cup there were reports of an organised brawl between German and Polish troublemakers close to the border between the two countries.

Italy - Ukraine - 30/06/2006

Source : CORBIS

British police arrest football hooligan at Liverpool Airport - 09/06/2006

Source: Airline Industry Information

A known football hooligan was arrested at Liverpool's John Lennon Airport yesterday (8 June).

The British police stopped the man from leaving the country in case he was travelling to the World Cup. According to The Associated Press, British police have the authority to stop convicted hooligans from travelling to Germany for the World Cup.

Police in Britain have reportedly ordered 3,500 known football hooligans to hand in their passports to prevent them from leaving the country to watch World Cup games, although 180 have reportedly failed to surrender their passports.

Australian soccer fans vent anger at loss - 27/06/2006

Source: NZ Herald

MELBOURNE - Angry soccer fans in Melbourne have hurled glass bottles and let off flares after Australia was eliminated from the World Cup by Italy earlier this morning, news agency AAP is reporting.

Most of the 10,000 soccer fans who had crammed into Federation Square in central Melbourne remained well behaved throughout the match, said the AAP report, but the mood turned nasty when Italy scored a last-gasp 1-0 victory today to secure a World Cup quarter-finals berth.

Shell-shocked fans watched big screens in disbelief as Francesco Totti's injury-time penalty killed the Socceroos' hopes of going through to the last eight.

Some Socceroos supporters vented their disappointment by throwing glass bottles at the big screen and stage area, narrowly missing security staff and media.

Other fans began kicking large plastic barricades placed around the stage area.

A flare was let off by a member of the crowd and landed on the roof of a building adjacent to the stage.

As fans began to make their way out of the area one man yelled "let's start a riot", according to AAP.

A fight broke out between a group of 15 soccer fans but was quickly brought under control by security staff and police.

More flares were let off along Swanston Street as the crowd began moving out of Federation Square.

Earlier at least four flares were let off when the match began.

"It seems to be that there are still those who insist on bringing them (flares)," Superintendent Mick Williams told AAP.

"I know there is a feeling out there that it is part of the soccer culture, but at the end of the day it is very dangerous."

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of football fans turned out all across Australia in the early hours of this morning to watch the Socceroos' heart-breaking World Cup exit.

Sydney had the largest gatherings.

There was a huge turnout in Leichhardt in Sydney's inner west - the home of the city's Italian community - where ABC Radio today reported 20,000 fans packed into Norton Street.

Rowdy Italian fans let off flares and hugged each other when the winning goal was scored, while despondent Australians skulked home after the game.

The crowds, meanwhile, were so big at Circular Quay that police were forced to ask late-arriving fans to go elsewhere.

The crowds had begun partying hours before the game began, intent on celebrating Australia's advance to a second round berth that few predicted before the tournament began in Germany.

In Norton Street, they crammed every vantage point to watch the game on a 10-metre screen, with those unable to find a spot at street level perching on balconies and shop roofs.

Prime Minister John Howard, in Indonesia on an official visit, was disappointed with the manner of the Socceroos' loss, ABC Radio reported this morning.

"I'm broken-hearted," he told reporters. "It's a very cruel way to lose, right on the knocker like that, but the team just played so bravely the whole match."

Known soccer hooligan arrested at U.K. airport - 08/06/2006

Source: AP

Police arrested a known soccer hooligan at Liverpool's John Lennon Airport on Thursday and stopped him from leaving the country in case he was headed to the World Cup.

British police have powers to prevent any convicted hooligans from going to the World Cup in Germany, which kicks off on Friday.

The man arrested Thursday was identified as a 35-year-old Wolverhampton Wanderers fan, from Cannock in central England. Police did not release his name.

The fan had a ticket to Amsterdam, but the Netherlands borders Germany. England faces Paraguay in its first group game in Frankfurt on Saturday.

Merseyside police said the man was arrested under the Football Disorder Act. He was ordered to appear before Liverpool Magistrates later Thursday.

After English fans rioted at the 1998 World Cup in France and the 2000 European championship in Belgium and the Netherlands, the British government brought in new laws to detain and stop convicted hooligans from leaving the country to watch the team play.

British police ordered 3,500 hooligans to surrender their passports prior to this month's World Cup. So far, 180 of those have not done so.

Police in Frankfurt estimated that around 40,000 English fans -- most of them without tickets -- are travelling to the city for Saturday's game. British police are on duty in Frankfurt along with their German counterparts.