No Tolerance for Hooligans at Russia World Cup -UK Police Chief

Date: 31 January 2018 - 20:56

News ID: ۴۹۵۴۲

SHEFFIELD, England (Reuters) - Soccer hooligans can expect swift police action if they try to make trouble at this summer's World Cup finals in Russia where authorities are already putting strict security procedures in place, Britain's lead officer for soccer policing has said.
England and Russia were threatened with expulsion from the 2016 European Championship in France after brawls between Russian and English hooligans that both countries blamed on each other's fans.
Russian and British police have been cooperating to avoid a repeat this summer, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts said, with Russian authorities visiting England to watch its soccer policing in action and British officials going to Russia to discuss tactics and strategies.
Roberts said he was confident the Russians were on top of security at the tournament, which will be held in 12 venues in 11 cities, including Moscow, St Petersburg, Sochi and Kazan.
English fans have had a reputation for hooliganism since the 1970s and caused trouble in the 1998 World Cup in France and the European Championships in Belgium in 2000.
Britain has had success cracking down on the problem by banning travel for known troublemakers - nearly 2,000 people are currently banned - and giving police the power to confiscate their passports.
Not one British national was arrested for soccer-related disorder at tournaments in South Africa in 2010, Poland and Ukraine in 2012 or Brazil in 2014.
*****A Russian fan taunts English fans ahead of England's EURO 2016 match against Russia in Marseille on June 11.