British courts urged to leash soccer hooligans

The British Home Secretary, Jack Straw, is calling on the courts to place travel restrictions on convicted football hooligans, to prevent them going to the World Cup in France next year.

He said he was concerned that such curbs had only been imposed ten times since the law allowing them took effect in 1989.

Mr Straw said if all known troublemakers were restrained, it was almost certain there would be no trouble from British fans at the World Cup.

British police are to share intelligence and crowd control tactics with the French authorities, who Mr Straw said were anxious to cooperate.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service