and the scummiest fans are...

[J_RFC87 761]

...everyone's least favourite team: Leeds.

Bit of culture for you lads, from today's Economist. The article is on other countries like South Africa and Brazil using the British model for hooliganism.

GLARING down from a PowerPoint slide was a young Englishman with swastikas daubed on his bare chest. Gazing up at him was a delegation of Brazilian police, congressmen and football officials. Unlikely as it might seem, given England’s reputation for football loutishness, Brazil sent a team of experts to London this week to learn how to handle o hooliganismo when they stage the World Cup in 2014.

Other foreign governments have also sought British help. South Africa has asked for British advice on its own World Cup in 2010; so have Poland and Ukraine, the hosts of the European Championships in 2012. Europe’s football association, which threatened England with a ban in 2000, now recommends the British model of policing.

Violence at matches is still a risk, especially at certain clubs (see the league of shame below). But things have been much quieter on the terraces lately. During the 2006-07 season, police made 2,833 arrests at league matches, down from 4,227 in 1993-94. This decline is impressive given that attendance swelled by 37% over the same period. Internationally, things have improved too: at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where many had dreaded the arrival of England’s fans, they accounted for only a tenth of arrests and detentions, despite making up the biggest group of foreign supporters.

Order has been maintained at home partly thanks to better stadiums, which in the top divisions are entirely seated in order to avoid crushing, and which bristle with CCTV cameras, giving early warning of trouble and providing evidence for convictions. Gentler policing has helped too: 40% of matches are now police-free, relying instead on stewards who can eject troublemakers without triggering a pitched battle, as sometimes happens when riot police are called in.

Improving English conduct abroad has taken longer. Almost a thousand England supporters were deported from Belgium in 2000 for their rowdiness. After that embarrassment, new laws were rushed through: football banning orders, which prevent hooligans from going to matches, were extended to cover foreign games. The 3,000 or so people on the list must surrender their passports five days before international fixtures, on pain of prison. Courts can now place bans on the basis of police intelligence, not just following a conviction. Worldwide, only Germany has such strict rules, but more countries may now follow Britain’s example.

http://www.economist.co.uk/world/britain/d...ory_id=11975396

[NOLUWDC 1]

http://bp2.blogger.com/_ewG4dtKAYgw/SCLEDw...-h/factsvo4.jpg