This morning seven suspected football hooligans were arrested for their bad behaviour at last weeks Manchester derby in the semi-final of the Carling Cup. Pictures of 15 suspects were published to the public yeterday and in some cases the suspected football hooligans handed themselves in.
Apparently the police at last weeeks game had confiscated a few dangerous items from fans enetering the City of Manchester stadium, these included a snooker ball, darts and a golf ball. During the match an item which looked like a lighter was thrown at Patrice Evra who than picked up the missile and showed what was thrown at him to the officials.
Some fans were seen fighting, ripping seats out and a flair was also lit inside the stadium. It is a real shame that these incidents occurred as both clubs are the biggest they have ever been and yet there is still so many problems with the fans. Manchester has had its fair share of problems in the past with the Rangers fans during the UEFA cup final a couple of seasons ago, there was chaos in the city and in one case a police officer was severly beaten.
It is a big concern for anyone travelling to the match at Old Trafford tonight and I’m sure some fathers who were going to take their kids have decided against going now as it is a huge risk. What does this cause for future matches? Especially with Manchester City becoming a massive club worldwide.
What we will see in the future is more commercial fans travelling to the mathces with Close Protection Officers to ensure their safety, before, during and after the match. This will be the best strategy and tactic as the police already have their hands full and have been exposed in this region in the past.
