Banks condemns riot reaction

Violence erupts between Arsenal and Galatasaray fans

Former sports minister Tony Banks has criticised coverage of the football violence before the Uefa Cup final.

His words of warning came as the Government took steps to ban anyone involved in the Copenhagen trouble from travelling to Euro 2000.

Banks, the man leading England's bid for the 2006 World Cup, said there were "a million more important things" going on in the world.

We are in grave danger of talking ourselves into defeat here

Tony Banks

The European press and TV were dominated pictures of Arsenal and Galatasaray supporters fighting in Copenhagen's main square on Wednesday.

"There is a great deal of over-reaction," Banks told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "This isn't Sierra Leone, starvation in Ethiopia or drive-by massacres.

"We are not the only country which suffers from problems like this and they are much worse in other countries, but that never seems to get covered."

Turks targeted

With the press reporting that England's World Cup bid had been tarnished by the violence, Banks insisted the Turkish element in Copenhagen had to take a large part of the blame.

The Galatasaray fans had stoked up a climate violence in their ground and their presence was normally linked to trouble, he said.

Tony Banks: The media "over-reacted" to Copenhagen riots

Banks warned that the coverage of the violence could damage England's chance to host the 2006 World Cup.

"I don't see the logical connection between a bunch of thugs kicking each other and depriving England of the greatest sporting event in the world," he said

"We are in grave danger of talking ourselves into defeat here."

Banks spoke out just as the Government said it would consider taking tougher action against suspected football hooligans.

Home Office minister Lord Bassam said he was confident that steps being taken in the UK would result in the 15 people arrested after this week's game - plus any others identified as being part of the riots - being banished from the European Championships.

The minister said he had asked the police to pass the names of the 15 arrested fans to Belgian, Dutch, German and French police, along with details of all those identified as being involved in the disorder.

"There will be no tolerance of the type of incidents seen in Copenhagen and the police in Belgium and Holland have our full and unqualified support," he said.