How the World Cup will fight hooliganism

Japan hopes to avoid scenes like these

By Tom Fordyce BBC Sport Online

Organisers of the World Cup in Japan and Korea have been working on combating the threat of hooliganism almost since the day they were awarded the tournament.

With the competition just days away, a raft of measures is in place which goes further than any seen at previous World Cups.

Japan's National Police Agency has asked each European nation to send at least one specialist officer, known as a 'spotter', to assist in identifying known thugs and preventing them entering stadiums.

Security will be much different to past World Cups because of 11 September

Walter Gagg
Fifa

About 1,000 known English hooligans have been forbidden from travelling to the finals.

Fans who do go and then cause trouble will be confronted with security staff armed with guns that fire huge restraining nets, as well as water cannons which warn rioters in six languages before opening fire.

In the wake of 11 September, security will be at a peak with no-fly zones imposed above all stadia.

Visitors to all grounds are expected to have airport-style security checks ahead of every match, with checks sometimes taking as long as two hours.

British policeman warns of trouble

Japanese railway companies are leaving no stone unturned to thwart the threat posed by hooligans.

The Central Japan Railway Company has employed a team of 20 people at a cost of £55,000 to spread glue over stones at two stations near the Shizuoka stadium.

The pebbles are used to reduce noise and vibration from passing trains, but the CJRC is worried that they could be used as weapons.

Would be trouble-makers in South Korea will be confronted by a platoon of beautiful policewomen in an attempt to make them behave.

South Korean police in training

South Korea's World Cup deputy director of security Park Sang-Hwan said, "Many people in the world find Korean women very attractive.

"Having these policewomen on the front line has had quite an effect. But Korean police are quite powerful compared to forces in other countries - they are used to dealing with riots."

Airport staff have even practised a drill to deal with a passenger arriving in Japan with the Ebola virus.

Walter Gagg, Fifa's technical director for stadia and security, said that security had been dramatically increased compared with previous World Cup tournaments because of the terrorist attacks on the United States.

English hooligans banned

"Not only is Fifa much better organised than before, but also now our security specialists will be at all the 64 matches with guidelines and instructions to the teams and to the spectators," he said.

"Security will be much different to past World Cups because of 11 September. There will be a friendly atmosphere but perhaps not quite the same as France '98."

Fifa has declared that it is completely satisfied with the security for the World Cup and has promised a peaceful tournament.

The world governing body completed a four-day inspection of five Japanese venues in early May.

But British National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) spokesman Mark Steels said, "It is naive to say there won't be any problems".