UEFA plan police force
07 Apr 2007 - 12:39:22
UEFA has revealed plans to establish a Europe-wide police unit dedicated to eradicating trouble like that which has flared inside stadiums in Rome and Seville this week.
Manchester United and Tottenham supporters were both on the receiving end of police action at their respective Champions League and UEFA Cup away clashes this week.
UEFA has already opened investigations into both incidents which the clubs claim were fuelled by heavy-handed policing by local authorities.
But in the light of this fresh trouble blighting some of European football's most high-profile games, the governing body is reportedly planning to create a cross-border police force to assist with the managing of crowds inside continental stadia.
"We have been seriously concerned about the law and order situation around European games for the last six months," a UEFA source told The Daily Telegraph.
"We are looking to create a type of European sports police, a way of dealing systematically with the problem.
"We need cool heads. First of all, we cannot tolerate violence in any form off the pitch, but we also have to understand the mechanics of it."
