England attempts to stop soccer hooligans
(AP)
Updated: 2006-05-26 08:43
LONDON - Some 3,500 known English soccer hooligans will be stopped from going
to the World Cup, Sports Minister Richard Caborn said Thursday.
Over the past six years, Britain's security organizations have compiled a
list of people who could pose a threat at the tournament in Germany. Police will
be on duty at airports, seaports and train stations to stop them from leaving
the country.
"The banning orders, which number about 3,500, will take out the core of what
we see as the main troublemakers," Caborn said. "This was effective in Euro 2004
and hopefully it will work in Germany."
Riots at the 1998 World Cup in France and Euro 2000 in Belgium and the
Netherlands prompted the British government to take tougher action to stop known
troublemakers from traveling to England games.
There was little trouble involving English fans at the 2002 World Cup in
Korea and Japan and the Euro 2004 championship in Portugal.
Fans were ordered to report to their local police stations at kickoff times
or hand in their passports. English police will travel with an estimated 100,000
fans to Germany for the June 9-July 9 championship.
"With the co-operation of the German authorities, we are putting our own
police on the ground out there which is the first time we have ever done that,"
Caborn said.
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