Soccer: Hooligan spectre worry for police

HAMBURG - Tens of thousands of ticketless fans will travel to next year's soccer World Cup in Germany from England, the Netherlands and other countries with a reputation for trouble.

Beer drinking will be the number one pastime of many, the black market in tickets will flourish and vast public viewing areas will see fans of rival teams meeting unsegregated in huge numbers across the country.

It sounds like a recipe for the sort of hooliganism that blighted the World Cup in France in 1998 but representatives from fan groups are urging authorities not to fear the worst.

It is understandable that hooliganism is one of the major fears for police and local organisers after the problems in 1998, the last time the World Cup was held in Europe. Then, a French policeman was beaten almost to death by German hooligans and English fans rioted in Marseille.

In Germany next year, 100,000 fans from England are expected, while ticketless supporters will cross from bordering countries such as the Netherlands, Poland and France.

Police union chief Konrad Freiberg has already warned that the resources are not in place to secure the thousands of public viewing sites that will go up across the country.

So what should the police do to ensure order? According to the fan experts meeting in Hamburg, Germany should copy the low-key policing that helped to ensure a trouble-free European Championship in Portugal last year, while an alcohol ban should not even be considered.

"Most fans are against violence," said England's Kevin Miles, international spokesman for the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF).

"Most fans think that having no ticket and drinking large amounts are fine. I think public viewing is a risk, and it needs policing, but it's positive."

The fans' groups also believe their work can help to make for a better atmosphere.

Groups such as the KOS in Germany, the FSF in England and Euro Support of the Netherlands set up fan embassies around the host country, providing information on cheap accommodation, places to eat and drink, other entertainment on offer and advice if things go wrong.

A group of Dutch supporters had their belongings stolen in Portugal and Euro Support were called to a police station in the middle of the night to help sort out the confusion.

"Banning orders serve to relax the foreign police," Miles said. "They think the worst of them won't be here."

Fears were raised by news last month that 100 hooligans from Germany and Poland had brawled near the border.

Many of those involved were nightclub bouncers and Hell's Angels, though, and police said this week they were relaxed about the potential threat at the first-round meeting between Germany and Poland in Dortmund on June 15.

"There's no reason for particular concern," Endler said.

The fan groups share that confidence and are looking forward to a relatively problem-free tournament.

"There's nothing you can do to prevent every idiot who is intent on violence but the numbers are tiny," Miles said.

"It's outdated to think there are gangs of marauding hoolies out there. The question is whether we marginalise and isolate those people or turn an individual conflict into a group conflict."

- REUTERS