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Quick justice planned for World Cup hooligans
PARIS (AP) -- France plans high-speed justice for soccer hooligans at the 1998 World Cup with state prosecutors in each stadium, patrols of British inspectors and quick expulsions for foreigners who break the law, officials said Wednesday.French officials spoke after a meeting with counterparts from Britain and Scotland on the June 10-July 12 World Cup. Security at the games was the leitmotif.
"There will be a state prosecutor available at each soccer stadium at the time of the event, and he will be available if the problem goes from the police to the judicial arena," said Georges Querry, inspector general of the French police, in charge of an inter-ministerial World Cup security mission.
Querry said France was counting on British expertise in fighting hooliganism at soccer matches. He said six to 15 plain clothed British inspectors would patrol outside stadiums to identify potential hooligans.
About 5,000 French police are to be mobilized on a daily basis for the matches around the country, Querry said.
There will be no mercy for foreigners who break the law. A 1993 law permits authorities to expel within 48 hours lawbreakers. The law provides for one to three-year prison terms in some cases.
Tim Hollis, who led the British police delegation to the meeting here, said the vast majority of British soccer fans are law-abiding.
"There are a small number who may seek to disrupt the arrangements, and we are very determined to work very closely with our colleagues in France to provide intelligence," said Hollis, assistant chief constable of South Yorkshire police.
A continuing concern is the development of black market ticket sales for the matches.
Only 20 per cent of tickets for each match have been allocated by the International Football Federation to supporters of the competing teams.
Dominique Spinosi, director of the French Organizing Committee, minimized the risk.
"Each French spectator can buy but four tickets per match in the first round and two for prestige matches," she said. She said that buyers names will be known to officials and those who buy tickets under the table risk having them cancelled.
But Judge Nicolas Jacquet, charged by the Justice Ministry with the legal aspects of the World Cup, noted that there is no law making the black market sale of tickets a legal infraction.
No tickets are to be sold on the day of a match, and Brian Hayes, in charge of security for the British Football Federation, advised his countrymen "not to go to France if you don't have tickets."
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan