Police 'sickened' by Rangers thugs

Thema: Police 'sickened' by Rangers thugs Do Mai 15, 2008 1:15 pm

Police 'sickened' by Rangers thugs

Police chiefs were "sickened and disappointed" after Rangers fans ran amock through Manchester.

More than 100,000 supporters had travelled from Glasgow for their team's Uefa Cup final against Zenit St Petersburg.

Many had been drinking all day and violence erupted at around 7.30pm when a big screen which should have show the match failed.

Greater Manchester Police said a total of 42 people had been arrested during the night including three for ticket touting.

Calm was restored after five hours of running battles between fans and riot police but the city centre streets are still strewn with rubbish, cans of beer and broken glass.

Rangers lost the final 2-0 after a lacklustre display at the City of Manchester Stadium but the event was marred by the violence away from the ground.

Assistant Chief Constable Justine Curran of Greater Manchester Police said: "A minority of thugs have overshadowed what should have been a great occasion.

"I've watched them commit damage, assault my officers and I'm really sickened and disappointed."

Beer was on tap from off-licences with supporters carrying crates of cheap lager around - Tesco opened at 7am, 18 hours before kick-off.

Excitement and alcohol levels mounted all day with some fans spending hundreds of pounds on travel and hotels just to watch the game in the fan zones.

Throughout the day the atmosphere had been friendly - but when a "technical hitch" hit the screen in Piccadilly Gardens, many fans, already heavily drunk, turned nasty.

The broken big screen was pelted with bottles, as were riot police as they moved in to try to quell the trouble.

Police and council officials blamed a "minority" of fans for the violence.

Rangers fans blamed the local council's "shambolic" organisation, but another said the behaviour of his fellow supporters left him "ashamed to be a Scotsman".

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20080515/tuk-police-sickened-by-rangers-thugs-dba1618.html
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Thema: Re: Police 'sickened' by Rangers thugs Do Mai 15, 2008 10:07 pm

Review of drinking laws after UEFA Cup trouble

The government will review police powers to stop violent public drunkenness, fearing clashes surrounding Wednesday's UEFA Cup final in Manchester may hinder bids to host major football events, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

The decision announced on Thursday followed fighting between Scottish fans and riot police in the centre of Manchester after Zenit St Petersburg's 2-0 win over Rangers, resulting in 42 arrests with 15 police being injured.

A Russian fan was stabbed in the back at the stadium before the match although the wound was not life threatening.

Manchester police said on Thursday that 11 Rangers' fans, all men, had been charged with criminal offences stemming from the violence, including one charged with assault and one with throwing a missile.

Twelve Rangers' fans were given a caution and 11 more were freed on bail pending further investigation, the police said.

"We do have laws that enable us to control drinking in public places where there is a risk of disorder and we will have to look at these laws for the future," Brown told his monthly news conference.

"I want to do everything to avoid us being put in a position where we might be at risk of an application, for example, for the 2018 World Cup not being acceptable because of this."

The fighting erupted when a giant screen showing the match to thousands of ticketless fans, many of whom had been drinking all day, broke down.

Fans were told where to find other screens around the city centre but a hard core remained and began pelting the broken screen with bottles before turning their attention to police when they arrived.

With England among the countries to have expressed interest in hosting the 2018 World Cup, the images of crowd violence and streets littered with broken bottles will do little to endear it to world football chiefs.

"I think we've got to make sure we deal with these problems of football violence. We will be looking at this as a matter of urgency," Brown added.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080515/tpl-uk-soccer-england-drinking-9e08e31.html

video clips = http://uk.youtube.com/results?search_query=Rangers+in+manchester+riots&search_type=&aq=f
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Thema: Re: Police 'sickened' by Rangers thugs Fr Mai 16, 2008 1:20 am

Uefa Cup Riot: 11 Fans Charged

Greater Manchester police have charged 11 Rangers fans with criminal offences following violence during the Uefa Cup final.

Images show clashes in ManchesterSeven of the men were charged with public order offences, one with assault, one with being drunk in a sports ground and one with throwing a missile.

Manchester City Council has ordered an enquiry after supporters clashed with riot police for around five hours in Manchester.

It happened after a big screen broke down just before the match, which the Scottish club lost 2-0 to Russian side Zenit St Petersburg.

A number of Rangers fans have complained of a "hard-edged" approach by officers.

Pictures emerged showing one fan being targeted by a police dog after violence broke out in the city.

But Manchester Police defended its approach as "measured" and released CCTV footage showing football fans attacking officers.

The video shows a group of "yobs" vandalising a car and "a violent gang" pouncing on a policeman as he lay on the ground.

"It shows the measured response taken by officers in the face of mindless thuggery," the force said in a statement.

At least 15 police officers were injured during the disturbances - their wounds included a broken arm, dislocated shoulder, cracked ribs, stitches in the ear and a broken finger.

A further 11 Rangers fans who were arrested have been bailed, pending further inquiries.

Another 12 Rangers fans have been given a caution that will go on their criminal records following their arrests.

Seven other men, including one Zenit St Petersburg fan, have been released without charge.

for more details, click skynews link
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1316114,00.html
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