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    British Seek to Bar 3,500 Hooligans From World Cup Finals

    Dec. 13, 2005
    British police create list of banned names as security preparation for World Cup begin
    AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer,File
    German police arrest a mock hooligan, played by a colleague, during a practice session for the Confederations Cup and the World Cup 2006 in Hanover, northern Germany,in this file phtot from May 19, 2005. Police don't have enough manpower to provide securi
    German police arrest a mock hooligan, played by a colleague, during a practice session for the Confederations Cup and the World Cup 2006 in Hanover, northern Germany,in this file phtot from May 19, 2005. Police don't have enough manpower to provide securi
    The British police officer who has been given the task of preventing English hooligans from attending next year's World Cup finals on Monday said that some 3,500 hooligans would not be allowed to travel to Germany.

    Speaking at the British Embassy in Berlin, David Swift, deputy chief constable of Staffordshire, said that these hooligans already had stadium bans in England and had been forced to surrender their passports.

     He said they needed to regularly report to police stations and that officials would increase controls at border crossings.

    Swift said he was generally optimistic about the World Cup. He added that the British government was expecting an official invitation from their German counterparts in the near future to discuss security at the World Cup.

    "We will provide the German hosts with as many well-trained experts as they wish to have," he said without mentioning figures. He described the working relationship between the two countries as excellent.

    He conceded that England deserved its bad reputation throughout Europe, but added that stringent measures taken by the police, clubs and fan groups had improved the situation.

    England is scheduled to play against Paraguay in Frankfurt (June 10), in Nuremberg against Trinidad & Tobago (June 15) and against Sweden in Cologne (June 20). dpa bn adh hg