21/03/2005

Football fans arrested after World Cup qualifier violence

Twenty-eight people have been arrested in connection with an investigation into violence following a World Cup qualifier game at Old Trafford in Manchester last October.

Seven police forces were involved in a series of dawn raids this morning in Staffordshire, Lancashire, the West Midlands, Humberside, Cheshire, Hampshire and Nottinghamshire. Twenty-eight men were arrested, all on suspicion of violent disorder, following the match between England and Wales, on October 9 2004.

Police have said that the men are believed to be affiliated with a number of different UK football clubs. Officers from the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) will question them all.

The investigation, called Operation Lucas, has been continuing over the last six months, with officers from GMP working alongside football intelligence officers from seven other forces to help identify those involved in the violence.

GMP has confirmed that there are approximately ten people involved in the violence last year that have still to be identified. Officers will be present at Old Trafford on March 26, when England play Northern Ireland in another World Cup qualifier, in an attempt to try and find the other people.

Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Thomas said: "Football related violence will not be tolerated by GMP or any other police force in the UK. Football is a sport that everyone should be able to enjoy and it should not be blighted by mindless hooliganism. Today's arrests send a clear message to those thinking of getting involved in football violence, you will not get away with it and we are fully determined to eradicate this type of behaviour. We have excellent relationships with other forces in the UK and we will pool our resources wherever possible to enable us to tackle this issue."

(KmcA/MB)

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