Well they're at it again. I've only heard a little bit so far but there are rumours of an English fan being stabbed. We'll find out soon enough who's fault it all is, but I bet it was the English. Of course they'll blame the Germans, the Belgians, the Turks, the police, the media etc, etc, etc.....

I'm so sick and tired of this (200 English arrested in Brussels). If it was up to me, I would honestly bring the team home. I have Dutch lessons on a Monday night and last Monday I asked my Belgian teacher, to apologise in advance to her parents back home, for what my countrymen were about to do to their country. I was only half joking. I'm so flaming angry I could scream.

-- Anonymous, June 16, 2000

Answers

Score so far:-

Arrested - 350
Stabbed - 1

10am (June 17)

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

Mornin` you two! Not a great way to start the day I agree. This football violence is so pathetic! Maybe they should be rounded up and sent to somewhere like, say Sierra Leon, to do some voluntary work. Might just change their perspective on what the truly important things in life are! Total braindead twonks that they are! (:o|

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

Same old arguments....

Strange how we haven't mentioned the fighting by the belgian's own fans after they WON the opening game! or the trouble with the turks after their opening game!!

Yes it's a disgrace but it's not just a English thing!

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

On second thoughts - I wouldn`t wish them on my worst enemy.(:o|

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

Quite agree Gav. They are all as bad as each other. I feel really sorry for the majority of the fans who just want to be out there having a good time.(:o)

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

The thing that has made me so angry is that in the newspapers in Japan, they're saying 'ENGLISH HOOLIGANS ON THE RAMPAGE'. Then they say that one English fan has been stabbed, they say that 'SKY News are 'claiming' it was done by a Turk.

The English are the hooligas
The ENglish are in the wrong and the English are scum blah blah blah

Of course no-one asks the questions what the hell are the Turks doing in Charleroi?

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

Quote from Sky News "It appeared Turkish fans were at fault for some of the trouble with at least one English supporter suffering a gash to his head after being struck with a hammer. "
Nice people them Turks

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

What i'd like to know is why these poeple decide to use soccer as a focul point to violence. They're not there to watch the game, but only to fight. So why don't they just organise dates and times with other idiots and go and brain themselves, instead of wrecking the name of soccer.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

Idiots need no excuse. But a load of tv cameras around certainly makes it more exciting for them. And why the press focus on English fans is beyond me, the story even made the evening news in the States. Idiocy is hardly an exclusive domain of the English. In the very same newscast was a story about a bunch of idiots in NYC ganging up on innocent women in Central Park last weekend in broad daylight - pouring water over them, stripping them, sexually assaulting them, etc, with the police stood around doing nothing. :-/

Sting -- best keep a close watch on your missus while you're there!

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

I heard that after last night's match, the Belgian authorities had laid on only two trains to get fans back to Brussels - one for Herman and one for Brits. Could this be because the authorities are based in Brussels? Or becasue the Turks are in Brussels on Monday night? Or just becasue they are incompetent?

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000

Belgium and The Netherlands are both swarming with Turks. Of course some of them would have gone looking for trouble with the English. The fact is though that yet again there's been major trouble surrounding an England game. I'm sick of hearing about how it's a "tiny minority". That's crap. A reporter on 5 Live yesterday morning, told of how he had witnessed thousands of Englishmen chanting rascist slogans, abusing any woman that passed and generally being the filthy obnoxious scum that the rest of the world knows them to be. "I rather be a Pakie than a Turk" - nice people those English.

I really don't understand how some of you can even try to defend people who shame our country in this way.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000

There were some ugly scenes that made you ashamed to share the same country of birth as these people.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000

I hate to have to agree with you SMB, but we won't get really serious about addressing this hideous scab on our national reputation until we stop trying to justify their behaviour and making excuses for these scumbags.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000

Well, they've got to get their fingers out and do something now, because UEFA have pretty much said that if there's any more trouble then England are out of the competition. Terrible shame, but if that's what it takes to wake people up then that's what it takes. Years out of European competition after Heysel don't seem to have affected our fans' behaviour at England games in the slightest. They are absolutely right to be against us; finding other groups of fans who misbehave in no way excuses the attitude of our lot. Shame that we can't be arsed to take the hard decisions until they're made for us. We have no right to ruin International football for everyone else. Zero tolerance is the only way to go we should simply refuse to accept that you can't hold a sporting event without thousands of riot police on hand.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000

It just stinks doesn`t it? (:o|

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000

Did anyone else just hear the statement from the FA which has just been read out on the Beeb? It sounded to me like even the next match may be in jepardy! Also quite concerned that there was no FA representative at the special meeting held by UEFA.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000

Heard it Galaxy and the follow up comments, the operative word to me appears to be "IF", as in "If the game against Rumania goes ahead". What worries me now the statement is public it just needs a pocket of Turks and Germans to light the touch paper, retire immediatly and get a result. The support for the English Team inside the stadium is the best (Apart from the Bex six). other teams are using our chants, interviews at airports by returning fans indicate over the top policing and fans being attacked cos they are just English, why then do they hide their faces? IMHO..After years of servile behaviour the English are becoming Nationlistic, in some cases to a frightening degree. Other countries have this inbuilt in them from birth and accept this as part of the trimmings, Maggie you got a lot to answer for!!!! Basically apart from the darts and rugby players the new breed of mainly southern based Ingerland fan cannot hold a good drink, and have forgot how to party. Lets face it folks no-one likes us and we are now cannon fodder for every racist half baked journo, who has a axe to grind. The way I feel at present I could not give a sh-t if the powers that be put us out, I love football, end of the day its just a game, more to life, taking me 60 years to find out mind,

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000

It's really disgusting that so few people can spoil things for so many. I really don't understand the mentality that spends all the money to travel to a place only to get drunk, cause trouble, get arrested and miss the game they supposedly went to see. It still bugs me that one nation's supporters seem to getting singled out over others just as guilty. Worse for all concerned if it's true that the majority of those arrested were not previously known hooligans. How do the authorities find and stop these people? And how much of this is being stirred up by heavy-handed policing or media hype. Very sad. :-/

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000