[David Hunter]

I am afraid this is a symptom of Russia's new nationalism. The same groups who support their national football team so ferociously are often involved in fascist organisations. I am glad Russia didn't loose to England, because then my countrymen would be being attacked in Moscow.

There have been several serious racially motivated attacks by skinheads on ethnic minorities in Moscow recently. These people are bound to be avid supporters of the Russian football team. We have already seen this phenomenon over many years in England.

The die hard English football hooligans are often members of the National Front or Combat 18. They go along to England's football matches overseas to incite violence against the foreign supporters and the host nation. Unfortunately, any popular game of the common people, played on an international stage, is prone to hijack by racist/fascist elements.

[Dog Gone]

I was reading in my morning paper today that trouble is expected at the US/South Korea match later today (about 13 hours from now).

I don't think it's the skinhead hooligan phenomenon that will be present there; it's simply anti-American sentiment among the S. Korean left.

Of course, British hooligans are generally considered the worst of the entire lot. I posted a thread here a few weeks ago with the news that hundreds of them were banned from attending the World Cup and were actually forced to surrender their passports to the authorities.