Season 07/08 - February

The men suspected of football hooliganism - 23/02/2008

Source : Evening Chronicle

THESE are the alleged soccer yobs accused of orchestrating a mass brawl after a Toon pre-season friendly.

Ten Newcastle United fans in total have appeared in court charged with affray in relation to the clashes after the Magpies played Carlisle in July.

They are set to stand trial before a Crown Court judge because the allegations against them are so serious.

Despite that, an order banning them from attending games in the meantime has been lifted – meaning they are free to go to all the Toon’s home and away fixtures.

Carlisle Magistrates’ Court heard the 10 were arrested after a five-month probe by Cumbria Police following the friendly game at Brunton Park on July 21.

After analysis of CCTV footage taken outside the Pippin’s pub, in the town centre, they were all charged with affray.

Richard Carter, 36, of Sidney Terrace, Tanfield Lea, County Durham, appeared in the dock, wearing jeans and a brown hooded top.

He was joined by nephew Graham Carter, 25, of Northlea, also Tanfield Lea, who sported a tattoo on his neck and wore a grey zip-top with a polo shirt underneath.

Wearing a bright yellow sweatshirt was bouncer Mark Barrett, 32, of Litchfield Crescent, Winlaton Gateshead.

Also in court was John Wood, 24, of Broadoak, Wardley, Gateshead, and James Mullarky, 24, of Hall Terrace, Bill Quay, also Gateshead.

They were joined by Trevor Reed, 43, of Fairhills Road, Dipton, County Durham, dressed in a black jacket, black sweatshirt and a Burberry checked shirt underneath.

Raymond Galbraith, 34, of Broadpark, Wardley, appeared in a brown hooded jacket, sporting longer tousled hair.

Also up was Rob Dixon, 25, of Parkside, Tanfield Lea, dressed in a blue checked shirt.

Simon Chollerton, 38, of High Street, Tow Law, County Durham, was in the dock, donning a black hooded jacket, while the final defendant was Anthony Hamilton, 34, of St Julien Gardens, Cochrane Park, Newcastle.

No pleas were entered by any of the men and the case was adjourned to be sent to Carlisle Crown Court.

CCTV footage of the incident the charges relate to was briefly played.

All the defendants spoke only to confirm their names, addresses and dates of birth.

A handful of associates of the men were sat in the back of the court.

Up until this week’s hearing, all of them had bail conditions imposed on them, meaning they were not allowed to enter any football ground in England and Wales.

But it was argued this had the same effect as a football banning order, which can only be imposed after a conviction in court.

After submissions by lawyers Anthony Wilson and John Cooper, these conditions were lifted and they were remanded on unconditional bail.

Newcastle’s fixture against Carlisle ended in a 1-1 draw in front of a crowd of 12,000.

Wembley trouble-makers targeted - 24/02/2008

Source : BBC News

Hundreds of extra police officers were drafted in to keep trouble-makers away from the Carling Cup final at Wembley.

Up to 90,000 fans poured into north London in the hours before the match between Chelsea and Tottenham, which kicked off at 1500 GMT.

A police spokesman said they would clamp down on a small minority intent on causing "crime and disorder".

Letters were also sent to people with football banning orders, warning them to stay away or face arrest.

More than 1,200 officers have been on duty, patrolling trains and transport hubs, to ensure the event is trouble-free.

Ahead of the game, Ch Insp Steve Deehan said: "We're putting into place an operation to clampdown on the small minority of people who may be coming along with the specific intention of causing crime and disorder.

"We know that still some people are intent on committing violence in the name of football, and can ruin the game for genuine fans."

Coventry City - Leicester City - 23/02/2008

Source : ESPN

Eleven arrests made after pre-game violence

Eleven people were arrested after what police claimed was a pre-planned fight between Coventry and Leicester hooligans on Saturday morning.

The brawl broke out before Coventry's home match with the Foxes - which the Sky Blues won 2-0 - shortly after 11.30am.

Police believe the violence in Earlsdon, Coventry, had been planned.

Officers also reported they seized a number of weapons including knives, while one man received a minor head injury.

Detectives will be looking at CCTV footage to see if they can identify other hooligans and make further arrests.

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hyde of West Midlands Police said: 'This was a determined effort to cause violence and our response has been swift.

'It does emphasise the need for extra police resources on match days and in and around football grounds.

'It is very unusual for disorder to break out in the Earlsdon area, and all indications at the moment suggest that the violence was planned.

'While the majority of football fans are law abiding, police will deal robustly with the minority intent on causing violence and disorder.'

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Source: icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk

Fans arrested after 'organised' fight before football derby

Police arrested 11 people after more than 100 hooligans were involved in battles between rival football supporters in Coventry.

The violence between Coventry City and Leicester City supporters happened at about 11.30am on Saturday, shortly before the two teams met at the Ricoh Arena.

Police said they believed the violence in Earlsdon High Street had been planned. Eleven fans were arrested and police hope to make further arrests after examining CCTV footage in the area.

Several local shops and restaurants were forced to shut after what police have described as "an organised fight" broke out before the match, which Coventry won 2-0.

Officers also said they seized a number of weapons including knives. One man received a minor head injury.

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Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk

CCTV studied after football brawl

Police investigating violent clashes involving up to 100 football fans have said they expect to make further arrests after studying CCTV footage.
Eleven people arrested after clashes between Coventry City and Leicester City fans on Saturday have been bailed pending further inquiries.

Police said they recovered weapons, including knives, after the disorder.

The violence in Earlsdon High Street, five miles from Coventry's Ricoh Arena, is thought to have been pre-arranged.

Men on mobiles

Witnesses have reported seeing men on mobile phones shortly before trouble broke out a few hours before the match.

They described "hordes" of men spreading out across the street and throwing bricks at each other.

The trouble is believed to have started outside Earlsdon's City Arms pub.

One eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said: "We've never had anything like this before in this area.

"I saw a load of men, probably in their 50s, on phones and it was obvious they were planning something, then it all kicked off.

"The police moved in swiftly but we've got absolutely no idea why it happened here."

Extra police

Earlsdon, a residential suburb, is within walking distance of the city's main railway station.

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hyde, of West Midlands Police, said it emphasised the need for extra police in the city on match days.

He added: "It is very unusual for disorder to break out in the Earlsdon area, and all indications at the moment suggest that the violence was planned.

"While the majority of football fans are law abiding, police will deal robustly with the minority intent on causing violence and disorder."

Coventry City FC said in a statement that the violence had "nothing to do with the club" and pointed out it took place "more than five miles from the Ricoh Arena".

It said it was fully supportive of the police investigation.

VIDEO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd2w0tWAsdk

Poland: LKS Lodz - Jagielonia - 22/02/2008

Source: own + youtube.com.

Jagiellonia destroyed the gate, so LKS stormed the pitch, cause they thought that Jagiellonia might do the same thing, but they didnt, so LKS got back to their own terrace.

videos (low quality)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqDeMiQd5zQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m4erxk_R6g

Source : unveu.de

Fenerbahçe - Galatasaray - Cup - 03/02/2008

Source : Mail (thx to the sender)

VfL Bochum - Hannover-96 - 22/02/2008

Source : Derwesten.de

Several troubles at the game Bochum-Hannovre

Hannover supporters were assaulted by 6 to 8 Bochum hooligans.
Six people who were inside a restaurant at the end of the game were assaulted and a few were injured and trasnfered to the hospital.
Hooligans left the scene before the police intervention.
Prior to the game Bochum hooligans fronted the police forces.
At the end of the game troubles occured in the city center but this time caused by Hannover fans.
A policeman was injured.
At 23.45pm two hooligans assaulted a man using a bottle.

VFB Stuttgart - Karlsruher SC - 23/02/2008

Source : Tagesspiegel

During this derby 24 supporters, mainly from Stuttgart, were arrested.
Before kick-off Karlsruhe fans used a big smoke bomb inside the stand.
About 50 seats were also damaged.





VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1GkrGQnpjE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9EmFyie4-E

Heracles Almelo - Feyenoord Rotterdam - 23/02/2008

Source: http://www.tctubantia.nl/regio/enschede/2701195/Onrust-in-Enschedese-binnenstad-door-geweld-supporters.ece

Sixteen Twente and Schalke supporters were arrested by police forces.
Weapons were also discovered.
Police forces think an off was taken by the coalition Twente/Schalke and Feyenoord fans.

NAC Breda - Ajax Amsterdam - 24/02/2008

Source: dutch press + forum

West Brabant police forces have arrested 9 people.
During 2nd half local fans tried to confront their rivals from Amsterdam.
At the end of the game troubles also occured with locals and police.

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The night before the game about 30 Ajax lads mobbed up in a Breda pub, waiting for locals, but police forces were on the place too.



VIDEO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2woB0c9gcNM

Vitesse Arnhem - Roda JC - 23/02/2008

Source: dutch press+ forum

Local police forces have arrested 4 people on the Korenmarkt.
Police said about 30 fans mobbed up in a pub at 22.45pm.
Three people arrested are from Castricum and the other from Duiven.


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It seems a fight opposed a firm of Feyenoord lads (30? weapons?) to a Vitesse Arnhem firm (50?)

River Plate - San Lorenzo - 24/02/2008

Source : Info Bae

About 50 River fans vandalized a train just before leaving to the Monumental stadium.
Police forces arrived on the scene but no arrest were made.

Argentina: Racing Avellaneda - Gimnasia de Jujuy - 23/02/2008

Source : Edición Nacional

300 Racing fans fought with police forces just at the end of the game.
Police forces used plastic bullets guns against supporters who tried to attack Gimnasia players.

CFR Cluj - Universitatea Craiova - 23/02/2008

Source : forum

Rapid Bucharest - "U" Cluj - 22/02/2008

Source : Fanatik

Before the match, a fight took place between Rapid and U Cluj/Petrolul Ploiesti on the bridge.
One fan from Cluj need medical atention.

Five ultras of Universitatea cluj was arrested by police force.

Politehnica Iasi - Steaua Bucharest - 24/02/2008

Sursa : Mail

Before the game, some incidents burst in the city between Steaua fans and police force, but nothing special.
Also some troubles between fans of two team.

In the stadium, security try to stop Steaua fans to show some banners for Serbia.

Dinamo Bucharest - Ceahlaul Piatra-Neamt - 22/02/2008

Source : forum + romanian press

Before the match, Dinamo fans were not allowed with flags in the stadium because of this new law against violence.

Stewards want to stop Dinamo Ultras tu show their messages for Serbia.

After the game, some ultras was retained and fined by police force outside the stadium.

France: Players take stand against racism - 21/02/2008

Source : TeamTalk

Ligue 1 players will this weekend wear anti-racism slogans on their T-shirts after an incident at a recent game between Metz and Valenciennes.

VA captain Abdeslam Ouaddou was the target of racist abuse by a Metz supporter during Saturday's Ligue 1 game at the Saint-Symphorien.

Bernard Laporte, France's sports minister, is attempting to mobilise French football in a bid to stamp out racism.

And the former France rugby union coach has set up an initiative that will see players from France's top flight, as well as those in Ligue 2, wear T-shirts this weekend that have the slogan, "Racism - Never Again!", written on them.

Bastia face sanctions over racist fans - 23/02/2008

Sourc : Reuters

French second division club Bastia face sanctions after their fans displayed a racist banner before a match on Friday, the French Professional Football League (LFP) said on Saturday.
The banner was targeted at visiting Libourne-St Seurin's Burkina Faso-born striker Boubacar Kebe, who had previously complained about racial slurs in a Ligue 2 match against Bastia last year.
Friday's match, won 2-1 by Corsican club Bastia, kicked off three minutes late after the referee asked for the banner to be removed.
The LFP's disciplinary committee will meet shortly to study the incident, the second related to racism in French soccer within a few days, the ruling body said in a statement.
Valenciennes captain Abdeslam Ouaddou said he was racially abused in a Ligue 1 match at Metz last weekend.

Metz to file complaint after new racist incidents - 26/02/2008

Source : Reuters

Metz will file a complaint after new racist incidents involving some of their supporters, the Ligue 1 club said on Tuesday.
Club sources confirmed reports by witnesses that some Metz fans had shouted racist chants and performed Nazi salutes after a 2-0 defeat at Olympique Lyon on Saturday.
"We will file a complaint once we have completed our inquiry and identified the culprits", Metz director of security Jacky Ancel told reporters.
Valenciennes captain Abdeslam Ouaddou has filed a legal complaint after being racially abused by a fan during a Ligue 1 match at Metz on Feb. 16.
Following that incident players, referees and coaches wore T-shirts reading "racism, never again" before every Ligue 1 match last weekend.
After the match in Lyon, some Metz players threw those T-shirts at the Metz fans in the stands. Some T-shirts were thrown back on to the pitch after being torn and that is when the Nazi salutes and racist insults followed, witnesses said.
Last Friday, a racist banner was held by some Bastia fans during a Ligue 2 match.
The banner was targeted at visiting Libourne-St Seurin's Burkina Faso-born striker Boubacar Kebe, who had previously complained about racial slurs in a Ligue 2 match against Bastia last year.
League body LFP has launched disciplinary proceedings and said Bastia could be docked points.

MORE POLICE ON DUTY AFTER FOOTBALL RIOTING - 26/02/2008

Source : Leicester Mercury

More police will be on the streets for Leicester City's next home match after a riot at the weekend.

Up to 100 hooligans brawled outside a pub six miles away from Coventry City's Ricoh Arena ahead of last Saturday's Championship clash.

Witnesses reported a "horde" of men throwing bricks at each other.

The violence came just a week after fans brawled in Loseby Lane, in Leicester, after City's game against Norwich.

City's next home game is against Preston on March 4, and today police said more officers than usual would be on hand in case of trouble.

Supt Chris Rollings, the football commander for Leicestershire police, said: "We look at our policing operation before every game, and take into account things like recent history and the other team's history, and obviously, these last two games will have an effect on that.

"We had a small number of Leicestershire officers at the Coventry game, whose job was to identify any particular known hooligans."

Police seized knives and other weapons from the thugs who took part in the incident on Saturday and arrested 11 men - eight from Leicester and three from Coventry.

Officers believe the fighting was pre-arranged and are studying CCTV footage to identify more suspects.

Supt Rollings said: "It's been known for a long time a certain proportion of football hooliganism is organised, but in general I don't believe there is any upward trend in violence."

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said the violence appeared to be an "isolated incident" and had "probably" been pre-planned.

He said: "It is highly unlikely this was a random incident.

"While the majority of football fans are law abiding, our message is that police will deal robustly with the minority intent on causing violence and disorder."

Yesterday, Leicester City refused to comment on the brawl, although a spokesman did say: "The club has been made aware of an incident that happened at a public house on the outskirts of Coventry on Saturday.

"The club have offered their full co-operation to the police with regards to this matter, but while investigations are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

Toulouse FC - Marseille - 24/02/2008

Source: Local press

The police forces intervened against both fans, before the game. Nine TFC fans were arrested after they threw some missiles on the cops.

Sheffield Wednesday - Cardiff City - 23/02/2008

Source : BBC News

16 charged after soccer arrests

Sixteen men have been charged after 30 arrests before the Sheffield Wednesday v Cardiff City game on Saturday.

South Yorkshire Police said all are believed to be Cardiff fans and they were detained after a city centre incident an hour before kick-off.

The 16 are accused of public order offences and each has been served with an application for a football banning order.

They are due to appear in court in March.

There was no reported disorder at the Hillsborough Stadium, said police.

Of the other 14 arrested, one man was released and bailed pending further enquiries and 10 men were released without charge.

Two men gave witness statements and were released and one man was given a caution for drunk and disorderly behaviour.

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Source : Vitalfootball

Cardiff City Fans Arrested

Thirty Cardiff City supporters were arrested in Sheffield over the weekend prior to the Bluebirds' 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

A statement from South Yorkshire Police read:

'Thirty men have been arrested for public order offences before the Sheffield Wednesday v Cardiff City football match on Saturday 23rd February 2008.'

'The men, all believed to be Cardiff City supporters, were arrested following an incident in Sheffield city centre about an hour before the match started.'

'There was no reported disorder at the Hillsborough Stadium.'

Sixteen of the men were charged with public order offences, while 10 were released without charge. This is more neagative and unhelpful publicity for the club. I witnessed no trouble at all on the weekend but the incident will only worsen public perception and increase the number of bubble trips and restrictions placed on our fans.

Cardiff City's away support is fantastic. Incidents like these are rare events and most likely to be caused by over-zealousness or by those who are not true fans of the club.
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Source: http://www.cardiff.vitalfootball.co.uk

Thirty Cardiff City supporters were arrested in Sheffield over the weekend prior to the Bluebirds' 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

A statement from South Yorkshire Police read:

'Thirty men have been arrested for public order offences before the Sheffield Wednesday v Cardiff City football match on Saturday 23rd February 2008.'

'The men, all believed to be Cardiff City supporters, were arrested following an incident in Sheffield city centre about an hour before the match started.'

'There was no reported disorder at the Hillsborough Stadium.'

Sixteen of the men were charged with public order offences, while 10 were released without charge. This is more neagative and unhelpful publicity for the club. I witnessed no trouble at all on the weekend but the incident will only worsen public perception and increase the number of bubble trips and restrictions placed on our fans.

Cardiff City's away support is fantastic. Incidents like these are rare events and most likely to be caused by over-zealousness or by those who are not true fans of the club.

Brazil: Criciuma v Avai - 24/02/2008

Source : The Canadian Press

Fan loses hand after homemade bomb explodes in Brazil football stadium

A football fan lost his hand after a homemade bomb thrown by rival supporters exploded at a stadium in southern Brazil.

Ivo Costa, 62, had his right hand amputated by doctors because of the injuries he sustained while watching the match between Criciuma and Avai in the Santa Catarina state championship on Sunday. Costa, a Criciuma fan, was sitting in the grandstand when the bomb was thrown by Avai supporters from a nearby section. He picked up the bomb in an attempt to toss it away but it exploded in his hand.

"It was madness," Costa told RBS TV after undergoing a three-hour-long surgery. "I was there just trying to have some fun."

Doctors attended to Costa in the grandstand before transporting him to a hospital, where he was expected to stay for three days.

After the explosion, Criciuma fans confronted Avai supporters and police had to intervene. Other confrontations also took place outside the stadium, local media reported.

Police reportedly fired rubber bullets at some of the fans in order to control the situation.

Eight buses carrying Avai fans were held by police until everyone aboard was interrogated, but no one was immediately arrested, local media reported.

Authorities said they identified two suspects of throwing the bomb after analyzing television images but the two men were not among the buses' passengers.

Because of the incident, state authorities have temporarily banned fans from attending their teams' away matches.

Criciuma won Sunday's match 1-0.

Botafogo - Flamengo - Guanabara Cup final - 24/02/2008

Source : The Canadian Press

On Sunday, a 24-year-old Botafogo fan was shot dead after the Guanabara Cup final against Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro. Authorities were investigating whether the incident was related to fan violence.

Before the match, police confirmed it had to break up a confrontation between hundreds of fans from both clubs near Maracana.

China - Japan - 20/02/2008

Source: AFP

Abusive Chinese football fans told to shut up

With the Beijing Olympics looming and China's image at stake, their hostile and sometimes abusive football fans have been told to shut up.

Organisers of the East Asian championships issued a public notice on Wednesday banning unruly behaviour, including the taunting of opposition supporters, ahead of their match with bitter rivals Japan here.

Some 3,000 security guards were reportedly on hand and eight green military-type trucks were seen near the main gate of the 60,000-seat Olympic Sports Centre in Chongqing, which was heavily bombed by Japan in World War II.

It followed Chinese spectators, still angry at their neighbour's World War aggression, persistently booing, jeering and throwing rubbish at three-time Asian champions Japan on Sunday when they played North Korea.

They did the same at the 2004 Asian Cup here, hurling cups and plastic bottles at Japanese supporters.

The 2004 event ended with a near riot after the final in Beijing, where Japan beat China, when a Japanese diplomat's car was attacked.

Ahead of Wednesday's match, which Japan won 1-0, local media carried articles saying true football fans respect their opponents, according to a Chinese journalist.

And at the stadium, the public address system called on the crowd to "refrain from using abusive language."

Chinese supporters largely adhered to the warnings and did not boo the Japanese national anthem, although some were seen lighting smoke flares and burning small Japanese flags.

Instead they turned their wrath on their own underachieving team, with tempers flaring towards the end of the game as the crowd booed and chanted "fire him", directed at China Football Association (CFA) chief Xie Yalong.

They also threw plastic bottles on the pitch as Koji Yamase's early strike proved decisive for China's second straight defeat in the four-nation event.

Chinese newspapers expressed dismay at the latest failure of the national side, also blaming the CFA.

"China loses to Japan: Why?" asked the mass-circulation Beijing Morning Post in its main headline

"Chinese football has deteriorated over the past 10 years. Why? The China Football Association can't shrug off the blame. Only it can answer this 'why?' Give us an explanation," the paper said.

While the supporters behaved better-than-expected, the Chinese team let rip on the pitch, picking up four yellow cards for some wild tackles in a bad-tempered game.

Japan coach Takeshi Okada accused North Korean referee Song O-Tae of being soft by not showing any red cards.

"I feel very much dissatisfied with not only the refereeing but other things," he said, without elaborating.

"I told my players to be calm but it was me who was getting excited."

Japan also picked up two yellow cards as their frustrations boiled over.

"Hit back when you get hit. That's the spirit. I felt it was what I should do at least," said Japan's defensive midfielder Keita Suzuki, who grappled with Li Weifeng when he was caught by the neck on the stroke of stoppage time.

China play North Korea on Saturday while Japan take on South Korea.