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Fans handed suspended sentences
ROME (AP) -- Four British soccer fans were given suspended sentences today for clashes with police at the Italy-England World Cup soccer match."It's a light punishment because of the motives -- a soccer match and not something more serious -- and because they are foreigners and won't be around to create more problems," said Benedetto Greco, the lawyer for the four men.
A Rome court gave Andrew Jordan, Fernando Puertolano and Nigel Andrews eight-month suspended sentences for attacking a police officer at Saturday's match in the Olympic Stadium.
The officer required hospital attention for head and abdomenal injuries.
Greco said the court gave Patrick Brogan the same sentence for "provoking police" in a separate incident.
He said all four defendants admitted they were had been drinking.
Twenty English fans, including seven arrested for attacking an Italian man and his son on a Rome-bound train hours before the game, remain in jail.
The game ended in a 0-0 tied.
Some Italian lawmakers called on the English Football Association today to pay for fan damage.
"Rome and its citizens should be reimbursed by the English soccer federation for the damages and the acts of vandalism perpetrated by the hooligans," Sen. Michele Bonatesta said.
There was finger-pointing from the other side as well.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Italian authorities should have kept rival fans apart.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry refused to comment on Blair's remarks.
"I will never excuse violence by England fans," Blair said. "But there was a breakdown, which meant rival fans mixed where they should have been kept apart.
"The Italians, like us, will want to learn the lessons.
"Nobody can fault the efforts of the British government, the British police, the Football Association and the organizers of official travel groups in trying to ensure the match was trouble-free."
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GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
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GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
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