Hundreds of English football hooligans will be banned from traveling to the Euro 2012 football championships in Ukraine, says a spokesman for the police in northern England, where football hooliganism statistics increased over the last few years.
The Northumbria police has listed more than a hundred of local names for whom this ban will apply, warning that they could be ”given a red card” if they try follow England during the tournament. Anyone who fails to comply with this ban will be arrested and prosecuted for breaching their banning order.
Everyone on the list is required to surrender their passports to a designated police station before the start of the European Football Cup, without seeing a glimpse of it until after the tournament is over.
This measurement is meant to minimize the violence and ensure a peaceful tournament. Northumbria Police’s Superintendent Gillian Mitchell says that these banning orders ”are there to prevent those intent on causing violence or disorder from attending matches, meaning that genuine fans can go to a game and watch it safely.”
The order was a popular measurement during the South African World Cup in 2010. The tournament did not have any major reported violence, although several sources stated that many football fans who were issues an FBO still managed to get into the country and attended major football matches.
This resulted to doubts from several fan organisations on whether these measurement really are as affective as the governmental authorities suggest.
Daniela Wurbs from Football Supporters Europe says that FBO could be effective if applied strictly to fans with relevant conviction, but adds that the main responsibility lies on the hosts of the event.
”The best soil of violence is an angry crowd,” says Wurbs. She also says: ”If the atmosphere is tense, if supporters are treated unfriendly, if there is too many uncertainties … if nobody can speak their language, if there is nothing to do than hanging around and drinking, then even a very friendly and peaceful crowd can get angry.”
Anna Dobko, the media relations officer for UEFA Euro 2012 in Ukraine, says that the organization is ready to tackle an angry crowd through local training, involving a team of policing experts and stadium management co-ordinators as well as learning all the facts and figures from relevant academic studies.
To establish a positive atmosphere, the fan embassy of UEFA will also be running a “Respect the Fan Culture.” According to Dubko, the scheme aims to promote a positive and peaceful fan culture and contribute to a festive atmosphere throughout the whole tournament.
This, she hopes, will also increase the interaction between the locals and the tourists, which should provide the visitors with all the necessary information needed during their stay in Ukraine.
Yelena Kensborn, a native of Ukraine, lives in London.
