The Hindu : Sport / Football : Police ready for the massive influx of English fans

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Saturday, Jul 01, 2006

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Police ready for the massive influx of English fans

GELSENKIRCHEN: Police are ready for a massive influx of England fans for Saturday's World Cup quarterfinal against Portugal, confident that the fan violence, which plagued Stuttgart, was an aberration.

"We think and we are quite sure that this will go on without any problem,'' police president Ruediger von Schenfeldt told reporters ahead of the game. "We do not have any information that (violence) is going to happen in Gelsenkirchen."

An estimated 70,000 English and 20,000 Portuguese fans are expected in the city, a mining town in the industrial Ruhr area that is one of the smallest World Cup venues.

Most of the English fans are expected to arrive on Saturday, by plane and ferry from Britain and train from Frankfurt, where most of the English travelling supporters have been based since the tournament started June 9.

Thousands more were expected at public viewing areas to watch Germany play Argentina on Friday.

Taunting of fans

A Germany win over Argentina could lead to taunting of England fans, as in Stuttgart last weekend, although assistant chief constable Stephen Thomas, the senior British officer advising German authorities, said that wasn't likely to happen this time.

"Our supporters will be spread over the region rather than being in one area," he said. "I think that's a good thing because it will avoid the scenes we saw in Stuttgart, with that very focal point on the steps outside the main fan park, and so we won't see a repeat of those incidents here."

More than 500 people — mostly British — were arrested after two violent outbursts in Stuttgart before the second-round match between England and Ecuador. Police said the violence was precipitated by the England and Germany fans taunting each other.

Mayor Frank Baranowski was hopeful that a sense of friendship and celebration would permeate the city, both on Friday and Saturday, regardless of the outcome of the games.

"I hope we find the right mood for this World Cup competition. It's a highlight because it's the last game that will be held in Gelsenkirchen," Baranowski said. "I hope that everybody finds the time to relax and enjoy the game and just in case, we are prepared as well." — AP

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