Season 06/07 - February

Football: Italian government approves new football security measures - 07/02/2007

Source: AFP

The Italian government approved new security measures to tackle the problem of football hooliganism at an emergency cabinet meeting.

The regulations come into force immediately following the death of a policeman during crowd trouble at last Friday's Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo.

The government said there would be a firm implementation of the 'Decreto Pisanu' - laws introduced in 2005 under the previous centre-right government to curb football violence - and clubs failing to do so would be forced to play their matches behind closed doors.

These include adequate close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, named tickets, automatic turnstiles, stewarding, and crowd filtering areas outside the stadiums.

"Stadiums not in line with the decree must play their matches behind closed doors," said deputy Interior Minister Marco Minniti at a press conference at Palazzo Chigi.

About half of the stadiums in the top two divisions are believed to fall short of the safety standards laid down by the 'Decreto Pisanu'.

The government said fans founds with fireworks, flares or racist banners face arrest, while clubs have been told to sever any financial or working relationships with supporters' clubs.

The San Siro stadium, which is shared by Italian powerhouses AC Milan and Inter Milan, is one of the stadiums at risk of closure.

Works to install more turnstiles cannot be completed until the end of the season and clubs could be forced to play all their home matches, including Champions League matches, without supporters.

Livorno president Aldo Spinelli, whose stadium is also at risk of closure, was unhappy with the new legislation.

"There are three possibilities - we don't play at all, all the clubs play behind closed doors, or we are allowed to have fans," he said.

"We can't have one rule for one, and one rule for another. We have to reach a unanimous decision on this."

The presidents of the clubs in Italy's top two divisions - Serie A and Serie B - will meet to discuss the government's new measures on Thursday while the national watchdog for security at sporting venues will decide which grounds are unsafe.

All domestic and international matches were suspended following the murder of Filippo Raciti outside the Massimino stadium on Friday evening.

Some 100 fans were injured and 40 people, including 16 minors, were arrested after the clashes between riot police and Catania supporters.

Only six of Italy's 31 stadiums deemed safe against hooliganism - 08/02/2007

Source: AFP

Only six of Italy's 31 football venues are safe against hooliganism and can host matches before the public, the interior ministry has said in the wake of a policeman's death in stadium violence last week.

Those that do not conform to safety norms -- and where matches will have to be played behind closed doors under a tough crackdown on football violence -- include the San Siro stadium in Milan and venues in Naples, Parma, Udine, Bergamo, Florence and Catania.

Stadiums in Rome, Turin, Sienna, Cagliari, Palermo and Genoa were given a clean bill of health.

Italy sets five fanless football matches in crackdown - 08/02/2007

Source: AFP

Many Italian football fans face a Sunday in front of the television set as officials enforce tough rules aimed at curbing hooliganism in the wake of the death of a policeman during a violent match last week.

Stadiums will be empty Sunday for first-division matches in Bergamo, Verona, Florence, Messina and Milan, the interior ministry said Thursday.

The ministry said that only six of Italy's 31 football venues are considered safe against hooliganism and can host matches before the public as the rules came into effect following the death of police officer Filippo Raciti on Friday in Catania.

Catania was ruled off limits, as well as Parma and Udine, while stadiums in Rome, Turin, Siena, Cagliari, Palermo and Genoa were given a clean bill of health.

Also Thursday, the ANSA news agency reported that a 17-year-old youth was placed under investigation in connection with Raciti's death.

The teenager, who was to appear in a juvenile court later in the day, was arrested with three other minors overnight Tuesday after being identified through video footage taken during the clashes last Friday, ANSA said.

Raciti, 38, was killed when violence flared during and after a first-division match between bitter Sicilian rivals Catania and Palermo.

Raciti, married with two sons, died after a home-made bomb was thrown into his car.

His death shocked the nation and resulted in all Italian games being cancelled at the weekend.

Authorities spent overnight Wednesday examining video footage of the clashes, dealing with images that were clouded by tear gas and smoke bombs.

Before Thursday's arrest, 34 other people, including 11 minors, were picked up, but none were thought to be directly tied to Raciti's death.

According to the Italian press, the 17-year-old arrested Thursday was already known by the police as a troublemaker.

Confusion surrounded the circumstances of Raciti's death as, according to Italian press, a blunt, heavy object could have caused fatal injuries to his liver and abdomen, following initial results of a post mortem.

In Brussels meanwhile, newly elected UEFA president Michel Platini accepted an invitation to discuss football hooliganism and racism with EU officials, including possible "fan coaching", a European Commission spokesman said Thursday.

EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini invited Platini to the talks following the police officer's death in Sicily.

Given the urgency of the meeting, it will be held "in the days and weeks to come," said Commission spokesman Friso Ascam Abbing, although no time or place has been agreed yet.

Among the likely points on the agenda will be "whether or not football hooligans can travel freely to football grounds in the EU," he added.

Racism both inside and outside grounds will also be discussed along with the possibility of "fan coaching for developing a new positive and non-violent attitude."

The talks will also discuss the possibility of an EU-level approach to the problem "with of course the cooperation of UEFA and, if possible, fan associations," Ascam Abbing said.

Italy police question teenager on football death - 08/02/2007

Source: Reuters

talian police are questioning a 17-year-old boy over the death of a policeman in football riots in Sicily last week which led to the suspension of matches all over the country, they said on Thursday.

The policeman died after being hit and having a homemade explosive thrown into his car as rival fans went on a rampage at a Serie A derby in Catania last Friday. Police in Sicily would only identify the suspect as a teenager from Catania.

About 41 people were arrested after the incident, many of them charged with resisting police offers and causing injuries. Police have been studying video surveillance tapes at Massimino stadium in Catania to ascertain who killed their colleague.

All Italian football, even youth matches, was suspended after the policeman's death pending a security review and the government announced that only six major stadiums would be open to fans when matches resume this weekend.

Only the Rome, Genoa, Siena, Cagliari, Turin (Olimpico) and Palermo stadiums will be allowed to operate normally. All others -- including Milan's San Siro -- will remain closed to fans pending security improvements, the interior ministry ruled.

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said the club was examining its options.

"We're free to decide to play behind closed doors. Some other cities have offered us their stadiums, like Geneva (Stade de Geneve) and Newcastle (St James' Park). But our inclination is to play at San Siro and let in season ticket holders."

More stadiums may be opened in coming days if checks show they have installed security measures such as closed-circuit TV surveillance, numbered seating and electronic turnstiles.

PROFOUND CHANGES

Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri said the new measures were essential to rid Italian football of violence.

"My hope is that in a reasonable amount of time we will able to say we are not only world champions but we have deeply, profoundly changed the system of the football scene in this country," she told Reuters in an interview.

Other new security measures include a ban on the block sale of tickets to away fans, a beefing-up of stadium bans for those involved in violence, including under 18s, tougher jail terms and a ban on financial links between clubs and fan associations.

Firecrackers will no longer be allowed inside stadiums and, at least initially, there will be no late-night matches.

Clubs say the government is overreacting to an isolated incident -- though officer Filippo Raciti's death was the second in a week in Italian football, after an amateur league official was kicked to death while trying to stop a fight at a match.

But some fans think Italian football needs an even tougher lesson to stop the violence, much of it generated by hardcore fans known as "Ultras".

"They should stop football not just for one day but a whole year -- it's the only way these people will understand," Rome football fan Marco Turchi told Reuters television.

"Until we begin to touch the interests of the clubs nothing will change," said another, Giuseppe Martini.

Fans banned from five Italian football games as youth questioned over killing - 08/02/2007

Source: AFP

Thousands of Italian football fans face a Sunday in front of the television set as officials enforce tough rules aimed at curbing hooliganism after a policeman died during a violent match last week.

On Thursday a 17-year-old youth protested his innocence as he was placed under investigation for voluntary homicide in the death of police officer Filippo Raciti, 38, last Friday.

"I'm innocent, it wasn't me. Mom, I swear to you it wasn't me," the teenager's lawyer quoted him as tearfully telling the judge as his mother looked on.

The suspect was arrested with three other minors overnight Tuesday after being identified through video footage taken during the riot at a first-division match between bitter Sicilian rivals Catania and Palermo.

The interior ministry later announced that stadiums will be empty Sunday for first-division matches in Bergamo, Verona, Florence, Messina and Milan.

The ministry said that only six of Italy's 31 football venues were considered safe against hooliganism and could host matches before the public as the rules came into effect following Raciti's death in Catania.

All domestic and international matches were cancelled at the weekend in the wake of Friday's riot, which shocked a nation where football-related violence has claimed at least 12 lives since 1962.

Catania was ruled off limits, as well as Parma and Udine, while stadiums in Rome, Turin, Siena, Cagliari, Palermo and Genoa were given a clean bill of health.

Livorno striker Cristiano Lucarelli, who represents his Serie A club at the Italian players' union (AIC), warned that fellow Serie A players could stage a strike in protest at the new measures banning fans.

"We respect the government's decisions but we cannot accept that certain teams play without a crowd and others with full stands," said Lucarelli.

"Yesterday (Wednesday) the club presidents sounded out the AIC to know if we are ready, if needs be, for a strike day. And we said yes."

Newly-elected UEFA president Michel Platini will meet Italian footballing officials Friday to discuss what venues Italian clubs can use in European competition, a UEFA spokesman said.

AC Milan said meanwhile that they might play their next home Champions League match in Geneva or Newcastle.

The club owned by Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's former prime minister and now opposition leader, are set to host Scottish giants Celtic in the Champions League last 16, second leg, on March 7.

Authorities spent overnight Wednesday examining video footage of the clashes, dealing with images that were clouded by tear gas and smoke bombs.

Before Thursday's arrest, 34 other people, including 11 minors, were picked up, but none were thought to be directly linked to Raciti's death.

Raciti, married with two sons, died after a home-made bomb was thrown into his car.

According to the Italian press, the 17-year-old arrested Thursday was already known by the police as a troublemaker.

In Brussels, meanwhile, Platini accepted an invitation from EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini, himself an Italian, to discuss football hooliganism and racism with EU officials.

Given the urgency of the meeting, it will be held "in the days and weeks to come," said Commission spokesman Friso Ascam Abbing, although no time or place has yet been agreed.

Among the likely points on the agenda will be "whether or not football hooligans can travel freely to football grounds in the EU," he added.

Racism both inside and outside grounds will also be discussed along with the possibility of "fan coaching for developing a new positive and non-violent attitude."

The talks will also discuss the possibility of an EU-level approach to the problem "with of course the cooperation of UEFA and, if possible, fan associations," Ascam Abbing said.

Scotland: Chaos at old firm grudge match - 07/02/2007

Source: local press

A SUNDAY league football match between rival Celtic and Rangers fans exploded into violence and was abandoned after just TWELVE minutes at the weekend.

The grudge match between Cleland Amateurs, sponsored by Celtic fans’ favourite Kelly’s Bar, and Motherwell War Office, which houses followers of rivals Rangers, descended into chaos when two players clashed on the pitch.

Several punches were thrown from both players during the Carluke and District Amateur Football League match, played at Wishaw’s Beltane Park on Sunday, forcing the referee to send them off.

But that sparked amazing scenes at both sides of the pitch as opposing fans allegedly tried to get at each other with BOTTLES.

The match was eventually abandoned after just twelve minutes amid the

One fan, who asked not to be named, contacted Wishaw Press and said: “The game was always going to be a bit tense but I don’t think anyone expected this.

“It kicked off when the two guys started fighting on the pitch and ended with both sets trying to get at each other — it was chaos.”

Trouble between the two sides flared again — several hours after the match on Sunday — when it’s alleged rival Cleland fans managed to gain entry to the War Office pub in Milton Street, Motherwell.

Pub goers were forced to flee for cover as fighting broke out and punches, bottles and bar stools were thrown.

The fight, which eventually spilled out onto the street, left one 29 year-old male with deep cuts to his right hand.

And two other males, aged 41 and 34, suffered head wounds and were taken to hospital.

Carluke and District Amateur Football League President Jim Smith refused to comment on the trouble during the match but did confirm the referee’s match report will be taken into consideration in regards to disciplinary procedures.

No-one from Cleland Amateurs or Motherwell War Office was available for comment yesterday.

But Superintendent Greig Robertson revealed his disappointment in the violence and warned both sides of their future conduct.

He said: “I am extremely disappointed that two sides cannot meet on a football pitch without it resulting in violence.

“And I am very concerned that innocent people who go to watch such games are being exposed to this. It is the responsibility of both sides to make sure these games are played in the correct manner.

“We will be taking an interest in any future fixtures between these sides but if they cannot meet without the need for violence then they will not meet at all.”

Bristol City FC - Huddersfield Town - 10/02/2007

Source: Bristol City website

There was an incident between two Bristol City players and a spectator, in which the players involved were entirely blameless
The Situation is now under investigation by the club and the police and no further statement will be made until this has been completed
The club reserves the right to ban any spectator for life from Ashton Gate .

Coventry City - Cardiff City - 10/02/2007

Source: ITK

It's gone off in Coventry City Centre, 15 Cardiff youth and 20 or so Coventry for a good 5 minutes before the OB turned up.

Lokomotiv Leipzig - Erzgebirge Aue II - Cup - 10/02/2007

source: AP

BERLIN: A group of 800 soccer fans attacked police after a regional cup match in eastern Germany on Saturday, causing dozens of injuries, police said yesterday.

Hooligans from Lokomotiv Leipzig hurled cobblestones and concrete blocks, injuring 36 officers and six members of the public after a Saxony state cup match between the club and Erzgebirge Aue II, Leipzig police said in a statement.

One officer was forced to fire his weapon into the air to warn away a group of assailants after he became separated from his colleagues and another was injured in the leg with a shot from a blank firing gun, the statement said.

Five people were taken into custody and officers were examining video footage to try to identify more of the perpetrators in what was the latest outbreak of violence involving lower league clubs in Germany.

Aldershot - Oxford Town - 11/02/2007

Source: ITK + Oxford Mail + confguide

OB let 50 Aldershot walk into town straigh to the goose where a wild west scene ensured

Batton charged up the high street and straight into a coach load of another 30 oxford lads cue more mayhem.

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Trouble marred United game

Clashes both before and after the game between rival groups of fans marred Oxford United's away game at Aldershot Town on Saturday.

Hampshire Police, who had 85 officers at the match, arrested five people. Police have warned that any fans found to be involved in the clashes could be banned from attending football matches.

Three United fans were also cautioned by police after being arrested at the ground for being drunk while trying to gain entry to a sporting event.

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Five fans arrested at The Rec

Police arrested five people after the Nationwide Conference game between Aldershot Town and Oxford United at the Recreation Ground last Saturday.

Apparently, police had to intervene after violent clashes between football supporters after the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

The fixture attracted a crowd of more than 3,600 and police said the violence "included clashes in the street with offenders as young as 13 challenging officers and throwing missiles".

Police reported unrest in one of the pubs in the Hampshire town but were forced to arrest five troublemakers after the altercations continued in the streets outside the football ground.

"Attending a football match is not an excuse for criminal behaviour," public order commander for the game, Inspector Antonia Weeks, told BBC.

"Fortunately, the majority of people attending the game did behave but the criminal minority not only ruined it for them, but caused unnecessary problems for those going about their business in the town centre on Saturday afternoon.

"Anyone identified as being involved can expect to be dealt with appropriately, which includes being subject to a football banning order.

"We will not tolerate any supporters, home or away, who come to Aldershot to commit violence under the guise of attending a football match and they will be policed robustly if that is their intention."

Catania stadium closed until end of season - 14/02/2007

Source : FOX Sports

A sports judge shut down Catania's Angelo Massimino stadium on Wednesday, ruling the Serie A team must play the remainder of the season's games in neutral venues and behind closed doors.

The Sicilian club's responsibility for the violence that led to the Feb. 2 slaying of 38-year-old policeman Filippo Raciti was "unequivocal," judge Gianpaolo Tosel wrote in a ruling posted on the club's Web site.

Tosel said the danger of a repeat of violence "put public safety at risk for the rest of the sporting season."

He also fined Catania $65,000.

"This sentence brings a city to its knees," Catania chief executive Pietro Lo Monaco was quoted by the ANSA news agency. "It was clear that our responsibility was limited."

Lo Monaco told ANSA that the ruling would cost Catania $13 million in lost ticket revenues.

Raciti died after being hit by a blunt object as fans clashed with police inside and outside the stadium during a league game against local rival Palermo. About 100 people were injured.

At least 38 people have been arrested, including 15 minors, and a 17-year-old Italian is under investigation for murder.

Following a week's suspension of games, 10 of 21 games were played in empty stadiums over the weekend, after the government imposed a spectator ban on 24 arenas in Italy's top two divisions for failing to meet security standards.

The safety requirements include having closed circuit surveillance cameras and turnstiles at the entrances.

Catania will play its next two league games - against Fiorentina on Sunday and Inter Milan on Feb. 25 - at Rimini's Romeo Neri Stadium and Cesena's Dino Manuzzi stadium respectively, the Italian soccer league said Wednesday.

Rimini and Cesena are in Italy's Serie B, which holds games on Saturdays.

Three men under investigation for role in German soccer riot - 14/02/2007

Source : MetroNews

Three fans involved in the weekend riots that left 45 injured following a soccer match are under investigation, the Leipzig district attorney's office said Wednesday.

The men were arrested, then released Saturday after an estimated 800 supporters of FC Lokomotive Leipzig attacked 300 police and stadium security officers following a Saxony state cup match. Twenty-one police vehicles were also vandalized.

Leipzig police said the three men were not known hooligans, or among the ringleaders, but were spotted hurling stones at officers.

Videotape and film is being looked at to identify more culprits, but police said the material is poor quality because of the intensity of the clashes between police and fans.

Police said they were unable to take more fans into custody the night of the riot because the size of the rioting was unexpected and officers feared for their own safety.

On Tuesday, Saxony soccer officials cancelled 60 matches in the state after the riots, amid warnings from national officials that clubs could be forced to play in empty stadiums or that arenas could face a permanent ban on hosting soccer matches.

The state soccer officials also announced they will increase funding for liaison officers that work with fans to reduce violence, a Germany-wide system often praised as effective.

The liaison officer in Dresden, another Saxony city notorious for violent fans, warned the increased money may be too late to stop the fan violence that has gripped Germany since last year's World Cup.

"We are not firemen. Unfortunately nothing is done until things are in flames," Torsten Rudolph said. "A lot more has to be done to stop the fire from breaking out."

América de Cali - La Equidad Bogota - Cup - 11/02/2007

Source : El Diario de Yucatán

Fenerbahce - AZ Alkmaar - 14/02/2007

Source : AP

Argentine hooligans export their expertise - 15/02/2007

Source : Reuters

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina's notorious football hooligans are selling their trouble-making expertise abroad, principally to Colombia and Mexico, a report in the sports daily Ole has said.

Ole quoted a government source as saying members of Argentina's barras bravas - a hardcore groups of fans – had travelled to the two countries to meet supporters and organise conferences, charging for their advice in US dollars.

The subject matter included terrace chants, the use of weapons and methods for extorting money from club directors and players.

The report said a leading fan from Mexico's Pumas UNAM had twice visited Buenos Aires to obtain first hand experience of the methods used by the notorious Boca Juniors supporters club known as "La Doce" (The 12th man).

He stayed in a top five-star hotel and continued the exchange via e-mail after returning to Mexico, the report added.

Rafael Di Zeo, leader of La Doce, was quoted as saying: "As far as the world's hooligans are concerned, La Doce is Harvard. They come here to learn."

Argentina has a chronic hooliganism problem which played havoc with the Apertura championship in the second half of last year.

Italian Riot Death Suspect Denies Charge - 15/02/2007

Source : Associated Press

A 17-year-old Italian detained in the death of a policeman at a Sicilian soccer match took part in rioting at the stadium but did not kill anyone, his lawyer said Friday.

Violence that broke out at a Feb. 2 match between Catania and Palermo left 38-year-old policeman Filippo Raciti dead and about 100 people injured as fans clashed with police. Thirty-eight people were arrested.

"He is destroyed. This is not an accusation he was expecting," the lawyer, Giuseppe Lipera, said in a telephone interview. The teen, who was not named because he is a minor, has not been charged but is being held in police custody.

Raciti's death a week ago shocked Italians and prompted the soccer federation to immediately halt all games. The government approved severe measures, including banning fans from attending matches in 25 of Italy's stadiums that were deemed unsafe, to clamp down on what some see as Italy's growing problem with soccer hooliganism.

Lipera said his client was filmed with a group of other youths on the night of the violence tossing an object in the air _ possibly a steel plate _ that did not appear to hit anyone.

Police initially believed Raciti was killed by a crude bomb, but officials later said he died from severe injuries to his liver, probably after being hit by a blunt object.

Premier Romano Prodi vowed not to give in to the clubs' strong business interests and their demands to reopen the stadiums to spectators.

"We don't want violence and this messy economic situation that is dominating Italian football. So we decided to be severe in both fields, and we shall go on," Prodi said Friday in an interview with AP Television News.

AEK Athens - Paris SG - 14/02/2007

Source : AP

Search at the Napoli extremist's homes - 09/02/2007

Source : Repubblica

Bacup Borough - FC United – 06/02/2007

Source : Lancashire Telegraph

Pub landlady defends football fans

A LANDLADY has defended the behaviour of football fans arrested for allegedly fighting outside her pub and said she would welcome them back to the bar.
Four men were arrested outside the Irwell Inn, Bacup, on Saturday, ahead of the game between Bacup Borough and FC United of Manchester.
Police said the men were restrained after a fight broke out among supporters outside the Burnley Road pub.
But fans and staff said they saw no fighting.
And one of the fans given a fixed penalty notice for disorder has vowed to contest the decision in court.
Landlady Josephine Hanley said: "I couldn't have wished for a better set of supporters in the pub.
"They were all very polite, there was no arguing and certainly no fighting.
"All they wanted was to have a good time and to watch the football."
Mrs Hanley said a number of fans were standing outside the pub.
She added: "The place was heaving so some of the fans had spilled outside, but they were all behind the wall of the pub. One of the police vans pulled up.
"That's when people started getting arrested.
"These were genuine fans and many had their families with them.
"They are welcome back to the pub any time they like."
FC United fans have been posting complaints about their treatment, along with video footage, on the internet.
Daniel Larkin, a pub landlord from Sale, was one of those arrested.
He denied there was fighting. Mr Larkin, 39, said: "It was a really friendly atmosphere in the pub and everyone was getting along great.
"It was very busy so we went outside. There were a few fans on the road but they moved when they were asked to by police.
"I don't know why they handcuffed me because I wasn't causing any trouble. I was gutted I missed the match."
Mr Larkin said he refused to accept a caution for obstructing a police officer and would contest the charge in court.
He said: "I have never been in any trouble in my life and I won't just take this lying down."
Police previously said Burnley Road had been temporarily closed dur-ing the incident and that four men were arrested for fighting but released with £80 fixed penalty notices.
Officers were unavailable for comment on the claims of Mrs Hanley and Mr Larkin.

UEFA hopes violence ends – 14/02/2007

Source : ASSOCIATED PRESS

UEFA Cup soccer returns this week and European soccer's governing body hopes the action on the field will make more headlines than the violence off it.
UEFA will be relieved if the specter of fan violence disappears with the expulsion of Feyenoord, whose fans rioted during a game against French club Nancy.
But fatal violence in Italy led to a weekend shutdown of Serie A from Feb. 3-4, and the fact that French club Paris Saint-Germain and Israel's Hapoel Tel Aviv are still in the UEFA Cup at the last 32 knockout stage is a reminder of the violent scenes when the two teams played each other on Nov. 23.
A policeman shot dead a PSG supporter in November while protecting a Jewish man from rioting followers of the French club, and police shut down sections of Parc des Princes known to be used by right-wing extremists.
PSG goes to AEK Athens today for a first-leg game while Hapoel hosts Glasgow Rangers. UEFA hopes both games go off without incident.
Feyenoord should have been in action, too. But its games against Tottenham have been called off and the English team given a bye into the last 16.
The Dutch club, winner of both the European and UEFA Cups, was kicked out of the competition over fan trouble during November's match in Nancy when the French club won 3-0.
Feyenoord fans smashed windows before the game which was held up for 20 minutes when police lobbed tear gas into the crowd to stop fighting. Nancy, one of four French clubs trying to get into the last 16, goes to Shakhtar Donetsk today.
The other French club going strong is Lens, which hosts Panathinaikos on Thursday.
Livorno and Parma are Italy's two survivors in a competition their country used to dominate. Returning to action after the league program was shut down because of fan violence in Sicily, both clubs lost at the weekend.

WERDER BREMEN – AJAX – 14/02/2007

Source : ZDF + DPA

60 Arrested In Bremen

60 or so Dutch fans were arrested before the UEFA Cup match between Werder and Ajax.
German police took preventive action and detained the Ajax fans because they were involved in a clash with fans of the home team, in the course of which several people were injured. The fans were released immediately after the game.



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German police release Ajax fans

German police have released the 60 Dutch football supporters arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the UEFA Cup match between Amsterdam’s Ajax and Bremen. Police said most fans had been taken into custody following minor incidents before the game.
Police said they had been determined to avoid large-scale fighting once the match was over. Some 2,500 Dutch fans travelled to Bremen for the game.

York City ‘fans’ banned from games after pub violence – 15/02/2007

Source : York Press

EIGHT York City fans have been banned from watching football matches for a combined total of 24 years and fined more than £4,000 between them.
The eight, who are all from York, were arrested following a match between Oxford United and York City at Oxford's Kassam Stadium on September 30 last year.
Their prosecutions take the number of York City fans with banning orders up to a total of 19.
Trouble erupted after the match when the group, which included a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were refused entry to The Priory pub.
They all pleaded guilty to Section 4 public order offences at Oxford Magistrates Court on Tuesday and were banned from going to matches for three years each.
The 16-year-old boy was also given a five-month referral order and told to pay £25 costs.
Timothy Mercer, 40, of Linton Street, and Craig Meers, 32, of Briergate, Haxby, were both fined £750 and ordered to pay £54 each in costs.
James Edwards, 25, of Swale Avenue, Matthew Fellows, 19, of Windmill Way, and Robert Joy, 25, of Bellhouse Way, were each fined £500 and £54 costs.
Ian Brown, 30, of Barbican Mews, was fined £250 and ordered to pay £25 costs.
David Sempers, 34, of Rawcliffe Avenue, was fined £500 and ordered to pay £54 costs for the public order offence and also ordered to pay £300 compensation to The Priory pub for a further criminal damage offence.
David Ellis, 24, of Poplar Tree Gardens, and Matthew Rawcliffe, 22, of Rowntree Avenue, have also been charged with public order offences in connection with the incident. Both pleaded not guilty. The Press told in December how York City fan James Windass, 42, was fined more than £1,000 after getting involved in the fracas after the Oxford United game. Windass, of Grantham Drive, York, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and a public order offence.
Magistrates ordered him to pay a £500 fine, £500 in compensation, £34 court costs and gave him a banning order, barring him from any football match for the next three years.
PC Graham Cooper, football liaison officer, said: "North Yorkshire Police and York City Football Club continue to take a tough stance on violence and disorder at football matches and are liaising regularly on these matters."
Sophie McGill, communications and community director at York City, said they would be banned from the club for life.
She said: "York City Football Club will be issuing life bans to the individuals who have been convicted of football related offences while following York City Football Club. We take a very hard line as we do not accept this antisocial behaviour and do not believe these individuals are true supporters of the Club.
"We are trying to create a friendly, community club and as a result these individuals are no longer welcome at York City. We have to look after the interests of our true supporters and the good reputation of the club."

Italian football at a crossroads - 16/02/2007

Source : Reuters

Italy's Football Federation chief hailed last Sunday's round of Serie A matches as "a turning point" in the country's long fight against hooliganism.

"I've seen positive signs," Luca Pancalli said after play ended. "Now we need the courage to continue on this road."

On one level he was right. The anti-hooligan plan Pancalli drew up in conjunction with the Italian government prevented another outbreak of violence like the one in which policeman Filippo Raciti died earlier this month.

Four out of 10 Serie A stadiums were closed to spectators for Sunday's matches after failing to meet safety regulations. In the rest, the visitors' stands were almost deserted, the result of a ban on the block sale of tickets to away fans.

But even at those grounds where the public was allowed in, the atmosphere resembled more an uneasy truce than genuine peace between Italy's hard-core fans and the police, who are the usual target of the ultras' attacks.

There were whistles during the one-minute's silence in memory of Raciti at the Olympic Stadiums in Rome and Turin.

A group of Inter fans were arrested after being discovered in possession of firecrackers outside Chievo Verona's Bentegodi stadium.

On the outskirts of Milan, an 18-year-old referee was attacked by masked youths as he walked to his car at the end of a junior league match.

The next day, Italy's newspapers carried photographs of long queues of fans passing through security checks at Milan's San Siro.

NO CHANGE

In Rome, however, the situation was as it had been before.

One AS Roma season-ticket holder, returning to the Olympic Stadium for the game against Parma, lamented the absence of increased security.

"What happened to zero tolerance? On Sunday, absolutely nothing changed," the 32-year-old, identified simply as Andrea, was quoted as saying in La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I arrived at the stadium at 2pm, I went through the outer barriers by showing my season ticket, as usual.

"Then, at the turnstile, they looked at my identity card without checking that it corresponded to my season ticket.

"I was expecting to be searched, but instead there was nothing. The policeman just let me pass through."

The conflicting signals sent out by the government also failed to inspire total confidence that the country had turned a page.

Sports minister Giovanna Melandri's assertion that stadiums that did not fully comply with safety regulations would be off-limits to the public seemed to run counter to the decision to open the San Siro.

Italy's most famous ground was opened to AC Milan and Inter season-ticket holders after emergency works to install 28 new turnstiles brought it closer to - but not in line with - the regulations, prompting predicatable accusations that there was one rule for the big clubs and another for the rest.

Beyond the bickering, the next few months promise to be crucial in determining the future shape of Italian football, which has suffered steadily declining attendances in recent years.

Much attention has focussed on the importance of renovating the country's outdated and unsafe stadiums.

ULTRA POWER

By the time the full range of security measures has been implemented, getting into the country's grounds will be rather like entering a prison.

Fans will not be able to approach the stadium without first passing through an outer ring of barriers. They will then be frisked at the turnstiles.

Once inside the stadium, rivals supporters will be separated from each other and from the pitch by high transparent barriers.

There will be few visiting supporters. Those brave enough to travel will be escorted into the stadium and then protected by the police throughout the match.

These measures might prevent more deaths like Raciti's, but they will not tackle the root causes of the violence.

They will not break the power of the ultras, who have turned areas of Italy's stadiums into no-go zones for the police.

Nor will they speed up Italy's justice system, whose slow workings fail to deter violent behaviour.

This week a court ordered a youth to perform 20 months of community service for firing a flare that injured an opposition supporter during a match 16 months ago.

"The laws have existed for ages. The problem in the past is that they were never acted on or applied badly," said Roma fan Loredana Giuzio.

Clubs could build new stadiums, but that would not necessarily persuade good fans to return.

"As long as certain people go to the stadium there will always be a bad atmosphere in the stands," said Roma supporter Andrea.

"Many good people have stopped going to the stadium. I keep going because a live match is completely different from watching one on the TV. But I often ask myself: is it worth the hassle?"

AS Nancy - Toulouse FC - 03/02/2007

Source: mail

Fight errupted between 40 Nancy + Saarbrucken vs 40 Toulouse + PSG. After 30 seconds, locals ran away. 2 Nancy lads were wounded.

Brugge - RSC Anderlecht - 11/02/2007

Source : Belga

Anderlecht fans in wrong stand

According to Het Laatste Nieuws the police of Bruges started an investigation to find out if someone made some mistakes with the tickets for Bruges–Anderlecht. There were some Anderlecht fans who had tickets for a stand of Bruges.

During the game there were some problems between fans of both teams and 2 police men got hurt. 9 Bruges fans were arrested.

The Anderlecht fans had tickets above the fans of Bruges. Thirteen fans of Anderlecht had a ticket in the stand of Bruges. They bought the tickets of a Dutch agency and that’s not allowed according to the police.