22/08/2003

Police to keep close eye on hardcore football hooligans

Up to 400 hardcore football hooligans are to placed under police surveillance in an effort to crackdown on soccer violence across England, it was announced today.

The Home Office has earmarked £5 million for the creation of specialist police teams which will gather evidence on ringleaders that will either lead to criminal convictions or succeed in getting offenders banned from club grounds.

The FA welcomed the news, saying that the initiative comes at a very important time, as the "stakes have never been higher for English football" in the run-up to Euro 2004.

Paul Barber, the FA's Director of Marketing and Communications, said: "This is excellent news. The FA has been working closely with the Home Office, the police and NCIS over a long period of time to identify the hooligans who are intent on wrecking the game for the majority of decent fans."

(gmcg)

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