European football suffering from fan trouble

Rotterdam police detained 42 suspects before and after the highly charged Europa League match between Feyenoord and Roma on Thursday, with the match itself disrupted by more crowd trouble inside the stadium.

Unruly fans in Ukraine interupted Dynamo Kiev's win over French side Guingamp, also. There were also reports of violent clashes in Italy around Napoli's game with Turkish club Trabzonspor, which, after the suspension of the Greek league this week due to fan unrest, will only deepen the debate over the scourge of football hooliganism in Europe.

Police in the Netherlands have been determined to avoid a repeat of the violence in Rome which marred the first leg of the round of 32 tie last week, with a massive security operation mounted.

Police spokesman Gijs van Nimwegen said 83 Roma fans were denied entry into Amsterdam, and when they arrived in Rotterdam in two buses they were taken to a police station near the stadium and then taken directly to the stadium.

"It has been very busy for the police," Van Nimwegen said. "We have put a lot of energy into stopping fights. ... If we had done nothing, there could have been a lot of fighting."

He added that the detained fans were being held for a variety of offenses, including fighting, possession of fireworks, and not following police orders. He said two people were found to be carrying knives, but could not say what nationality they were.

Tensions high after Feyenoord riot in Rome

Feyenoord fans rioted in Rome before the February 19 first leg, clashing with police, damaging a recently renovated fountain, and leaving part of the city's historic center strewn with beer cans and smashed bottles.

Police estimated about 2,700 Roma fans travelled to Rotterdam for the highly-charged return match and in preparation Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb drafted an emergency order to enhance powers to detain fans and eject them from the city.

Roma fans gathered around the city's historic old harbor and were kept segregated from Feyenoord fans before law enforcers on horseback led them to the 50,000-seat De Kuip Stadium for the late evening kickoff.

The game itself was suspended for ten minutes in the second half with the Italians leading 1-0, after home fans threw objects onto the pitch including a giant plastic banana, one minute after Feyenoord had Mitchell Te Vrede sent off. The teams returned and Roma edged the match 2-1 to win 3-2 on aggregate.

In Italy, meanwhile, four fans of Turkish club Trabzonspor were reportedly injured during clashes with Napoli supporters ahead of their Europa League match.

The ANSA news agency reported two visiting fans were hurt in a downtown Naples square after being hit by bottles thrown by Napoli supporters. Another Trabzonspor fan was attacked by Napoli fans riding a scooter, and a fourth was said to have been hurt outside the stadium.

pwh/jh (AP, Reuters)