"England and Germany football fans clash in Stuttgart city center, June 24, 2006." (Toby Melville/Reuters)
Posted on 06/24/2006 1:46:24 PM PDT by BenLurkin
STUTTGART (Reuters) - Riot police detained a group of around 100 rowdy England soccer fans in a square in the center of Stuttgart on Saturday after they had clashed with German fans, throwing bottles and chairs and trading punches.
Tens of thousands of English and German fans had gathered in the area, many drinking throughout the day, to watch Germany's 2-0 second-round World Cup win over Sweden on big screen TVs. Trouble broke out shortly after the end of the game.
England fans were in the city for their country's second-round match against Ecuador on Sunday.
Some 150 fans on both sides threw bottles and chairs before riot police moved into the area to separate them.
After an uneasy standoff and a brief lull, the two sets of fans again threw glass bottles at each other, prompting the riot police to move the German fans out of the area.
They then moved in to arrest the English supporters.
"Most of them will be arrested, because it's like a theater here, and if we don't arrest them there'll be trouble here all night," Stuttgart police spokesman Stefan Kielbach told reporters.
He said the trouble had been started by both sets of fans. Some German supporters were also seen being dragged away by riot police while one German man left the area with blood on his face.
VIOLENT HISTORY
The English have a long history of soccer-related violence but there has been little trouble in Germany so far, with only a small number of arrests for mostly drunken behavior or people trying to get into a stadium without a ticket.
However 122 people were detained in Stuttgart on Friday night for drunken and aggressive behavior and they are expected to be held until the game on Sunday has been played.
Under German law police can detain individuals for threatening behavior or if they suspect they are likely to commit a crime and it does not constitute a full arrest.
Earlier, Germany had beaten Sweden in Munich to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
"England and Germany football fans clash in Stuttgart city center, June 24, 2006." (Toby Melville/Reuters)
English soccer matches are like fight club
The Sport of Peace... ;)
LOL!
"English soccer matches are like fight club"
They really aren't.
"VIOLENT HISTORY"
When those two get together.... Who knew!
This would have been more interesting if it was German fans clashing with the French ones.
The Germans would be in possession of Paris by now if that happened.
As a person of Anglo-Bavarian descent, which side should I pull for?
We'll be singing
When we're winning
We'll be singing
I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never going to keep me down
Pi$$ing the night away
He drinks a whisky drink
He drinks a vodka drink
He drinks a lager drink
He drinks a cider drink
He sings the songs that remind him
Of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him
Of the better times:
"Oh Danny Boy
Danny Boy
Danny Boy..."
I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never going to keep me down
Pi$$ing the night away
He drinks a whisky drink
He drinks a vodka drink
He drinks a lager drink
He drinks a cider drink
He sings the songs that remind him
Of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him
Of the better times:
"Don't cry for me
Next door neighbour..."
I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never going to keep me down
We'll be singing
When we're winning
We'll be singing
"Tubthumper"
by: Chumbawamba
Americans are uncouth violent cowboys, but Europeans are sophistcated and peaceful!/extreme sarcasm off
It's the final round, and now it's single elimination.
GOAL! Argentina leads
Steel toe boots baby!
Somebody mentioned the war.
And lost!
I'm encouraged to see that there's still some fight in this bunch!Now,how about directing it at our enemies?The Brits have stood at our sides through thick and through thin!!These Euro-Weenies had better get their act together!!!!!
Too bad a soccer game wasn't on offer.
Oh well, At least our guys don't fall apart in 50 seconds into the match like the invalid Owen.
Stuttgart is a quagmire. Time to declare victory and pull out.
LOL! So true.......So true.........
Feh. This is a normal day in Detroit.
We don't dare announce a timeline. The hooligans will just wait and then we will have REAL problems!
"I'm encouraged to see that there's still some fight in this bunch!Now,how about directing it at our enemies?The Brits have stood at our sides through thick and through thin!!These Euro-Weenies had better get their act together!!!!!" You say.
Interesting perspective which I share. They'll have violent anti WTO demonstrations and riots at the Frankfurt Airport years ago. They have lots of fight in them for any leftist, liberal, tree hugging, Hershey highway banging cause. But fight against Islamic terrorists who attack you repeatedly and think you to be an infidel? Now that is a conundrum to the German.
I hope argentina wins because nothing would make the world more angry. There would be a worldwide brawl
You might get akick out of this: http://members.tripod.com/~warlight/hooligans.html
You're so full of it.
The crime statistics if they were calculated in Germany as in the US would be far worse.
What flag it that? (red cross) English Hooligan flag?
In this crazy world it's nice to see that some things never change (soccer fans rioting)....LOL
I got mine at Sears for $19 bucks. Those, and my WWII British 1st Para "Blouse" mean that the panhandlers in Chicago don't bother.
That would be the Cross of St. George. England fans do not fly the Union Jack because Scotland and N. Ireland have their own soccer teams.
Stupid euros.
It's the flag of England, as opposed to the more commonly seen flag of the United Nations.
The UK flag is a combination of the flags of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland (flag linky). Wales got left out.
I want an edit function on Free Republic! I typed: It's the flag of England, as opposed to the more commonly seen flag of the United Nations. I meant, of course, United Kingdom, not United Nations.
Somehow the euros will find a way to blame this all on american culture.
This is what you think a riot is? A couple of hundred people posturing, some patio furniture getting lobbed around and then the police splitting them up?!
Well, they took sterrn measures to keep the hardcore English from making the trip, iirc.
The French Army vs. English Soccer Hooligans
http://www.grudge-match.com/History/soccer.shtml
Apologies for the stupid pop-up.
Once again, great minds think alike.
(to recycle an old joke:)
"I went to a brawl and a soccer game broke out!" :-)
"Well, they took sterrn measures to keep the hardcore English from making the trip, iirc."
This is correct, there are about a total of 3000 people I believe subject to these restrictions. Meanwhile, there's an estimated 60,000 England fans in Germany, the vast majority of whom seem to be causing no problems at all and having a fabulous time.
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