Sanctions threat after football clashes

Jubilant Turkish fans in central Copenhagen

European football's governing body is threatening tough sanctions as it investigates the vicious pre-match violence that marred the Uefa Cup final between Galatasaray and Arsenal in Copenhagen.

With the opening games of Euro 2000 just three weeks away, Uefa will be rechecking plans for security in Holland and Belgium following the ugly scenes in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

And president Lennart Johansson told Sweden's TV4 channel he was considering sanctions against Turkish and English football associations over European matches.

Chairs were used as makeshift weapons

Five fans were seriously injured in the violence in the Danish capital before the match - which the Turkish side won on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Police arrested 43 people, 18 of whom were British.

BBC correspondent Chris Morris said Uefa would have to take both Holland and Germany's large Turkish populations into consideration. He said this could affect the level of security at the forthcoming matches.

The English Football Association has pledged to redouble efforts to ensure England's part in Euro 2000 passes off as peacefully as possible - especially as it is bidding to host the 2006 World Cup.

The FA's executive director, David Davies, said he was "disappointed" by the outbreak of violence and offered an apology to the people of Copenhagen.

He added that he was bringing forward a meeting with the Turkish FA and would co-operate fully with the Uefa investigation.

But Mr Davies was adamant that England's World Cup bid would not be harmed by the incident.

Stabbings

Trouble flared on Tuesday night when Arsenal fan Paul Dineen, 41, was stabbed in the back.

Then late on Wednesday afternoon, rival fans clashed in the city centre and what began as skirmishes quickly descended into running street battles.

Three more male fans were stabbed - one British, one Turkish and one Dutch - and another Briton was beaten with an iron bar.

It is the first time a Turkish club has won a tournament in Europe

Police in riot gear used tear gas to break up the fighting and the fans dispersed.

A BBC correspondent described the scenes as "anarchy" and Copenhagen's head of police said he had "never seen anything like this" in the city.

When the game ended, Galatasaray fans - including those from Turkish communities in Denmark and Germany - took to the streets in a celebratory cavalcade.

The English supporters kept a low profile and police made sure the two groups were separated. By the early hours of the morning the city was quiet.

World Cup fears

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein said the violence had to be seen in context.

"Bearing in mind there were 40,000 people in the stadium, probably those involved in any of the disturbances were not more than 100 or maybe 200 as a maximum."

He warned that if any Arsenal fans were identified as being among the trouble makers the club would do its best to exclude them.

Tension between English and Turkish fans has been growing since last month, when two Leeds United supporters were killed in Istanbul before the semi-final.