Belgians confident of handling hooligans

Belgian police hope to learn from Copenhagen trouble

Belgian security officials preparing for Euro 2000 have insisted they are ready to handle any hooligan threat and don't need to overhaul their plans despite Wednesday's soccer riots in Copenhagen.

Police in the Danish capital were heavily criticised for failing to act quickly enough to separate Arsenal and Galatasaray fans ahead of the UEFA Cup final.

But Belgian Interior Ministry spokesman Lieven Van Mele is adamant the Belgian authorities will not make the same mistakes.

"Belgium is well prepared. If there is trouble here, then the police and gendarmes will react immediately," he said.

If there is trouble here, then the police and gendarmes will react immediately

Lieven Van Mele
Belgian Interior Ministry

Violence surrounding the Uefa Cup final has increased concern that the championships will bring more clashes between fans following their national teams.

Van Mele said Belgian and Dutch police were co-operating closely with their British and Turkish counterparts, along with those from all 16 participating nations, to exchange information on hooligans.

And he added the authorities were not 'fixing their attention on any specific group' of supporters.

Charleroi: Fears over safety

England's group games against Germany and Romania will be played in the southern Belgian city of Charleroi.

And the head of Belgium's police federation and a British crowd-safety expert have pointed to the size of Charleroi's 'Stade du Pays' and the steepness of its terraces as potential security risks.

But Euro 2000 organisers and UEFA soccer authorities have given the stadium a green light. and a steadfast Van Mele insisted: "We have decided that a match will be played June 17 in Charleroi, and that's how it will stay."