Hundreds of English fans freed but 117 in prison

Jun 25, 2006, 15:13 GMT

Stuttgart - The majority of English fans arrested over the last two nights in Stuttgart were released Sunday ahead of the Round of 16 clash between England and Ecuador.

However, police confirmed Sunday that 117 of the 122 England fans taken into protective custody Friday night remained in detention and would not be released until Monday.

'They have been spread around different prisons,' said a police spokesperson. Stuttgart police say nine people have been injured in fan-related incidents so far over the weekend.

'We were prepared for this,' Heribert Rech, interior minister of the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said Sunday. 'The police acted in a determined and appropriate manner.'

Of the 378 fans arrested Saturday night, German police have released 375 but have banned them from entering Stuttgart's city centre before Monday. Three Germans were also among those detained and later freed.

'The city has given them a red card,' said Stuttgart's chief of police, Siegfried Stumpf on Sunday. Those fans who had tickets for the match can go to the stadium as it is outside the city centre.

Three fans remain in custody facing charges ranging from assault to the illegal use of fireworks.

The fans were detained in Stuttgart's city centre Saturday night after throwing plastic chairs and bottles.

The trouble erupted after the game between Germany and Sweden, which had drawn tens of thousands of German fans into the city centre to watch the match on big screens in public viewing areas.

Rival fans taunted each other but once missiles began to fly police moved in to separate the sides. Police then surrounded the group of English fans and when trouble erupted again, arrests followed before calm returned.

The incident resulted in five injuries while one fan sustained serious injuries after falling into a fountain. No one was injured in Friday's incidents.

Around 60,000 English and 15,000 Ecuador fans were expected in the city for Sunday's match at the Gottlieb Daimler stadium and police admit further clashes with drunken English fans could not be ruled out.

Stuttgart police will have 1,900 police on duty to prevent any incidents with another 4,000 deployed throughout the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

There are also concerns about the high temperatures in Stuttgart with the thermometer climbing well above 30 degrees celsius.

The German Red Cross was called into action 430 times on Saturday while 39 people had to be taken to hospital.