AN army of 500 hardcore casuals is leading a new wave of soccer violence in Scotland, the News of the World can reveal.

Our chilling investigation has found that rival firms of football thugs are organising bloody battles north and south of the border.And specialist police teams are now tracking the worst offenders in a bid to halt the bloodshed.A senior officer told us: “Casuals never went away. Many of them are now second-time-around hooligans.“We’re seeing married DADS getting tooled up and going out with the sole intention of causing trouble.”In August, we told how a Russian fan was knocked out by a flying brick during running battles in the centre of Glasgow between Celtic and Dinamo Moscow fans ahead of a Champions League qualifier at Parkhead.And on Thursday, scores of hardened Austrian thugs squared up to Scots yobs before Rapid Vienna’s hate-filled Europa Cup clash.But our police insider revealed that Celtic are NOT seen as major players in the casuals league of shame.The hooliganism expert told us: “Celtic don’t have an organised group of casuals – the club’s REAL supporters turned on them a long time ago.”But Rangers can muster a fair-sized firm, as can Hibs. And these guys are not just from Glasgow and Edinburgh but across the Central Belt and beyond.”Aberdeen don’t seem to have as many casuals as they did in the ’80s, but Motherwell still have them, as do some of the smaller teams like Partick and Airdrie.”And there is rivalry between groups from St Johnstone and Dundee United – meaning potential for violence in the Tayside derbies.”

Our insider said that up to 500 neds have so far been identified as linked to organised football violence. He added: “When you add to that the hangers-on who also get involved, the number goes up considerably. We’re working to identify high- risk individuals involved.”

Already this year there have been a series of violent clashes between football neds in Scotland and England.In BOLTON, a 50-strong Hibs crew – dubbed Capital City Service – battled with English casuals at a shopping centre in the Lancashire town ahead of a pre-season friendly in August.Cops are still hunting the brawling thugs who terrorised shoppers and smashed store windows.And a group of Rangers Inter City Firm casuals were collared in April as they headed by train for NEWCASTLE – where they’d planned to team up with Chelsea yobs for a pre-arranged fight with local Tyneside hooligans.Cops swooped and found one of the ICF leaders carrying a bag of drugs.He was arrested – and his fellow thugs were sent back to Scotland by British Transport Police (BTP).Last year’s UEFA Cup final riot in Manchester, which saw hundreds of Rangers casuals rampage through the city’s streets, also reinforced the grim reputation of the ICF.But our police source revealed that the mindless football yobs are just as interested in FASHION as fighting.He explained: “Brands such as Fila, Sergio Tachini, Stone Island, Evisu and Burberry are becoming more prevalent among travelling fans.“And some groups even have their own favourite designers.”For instance, Dundee casuals tend to favour Burberry, while others opt for Stone Island, Prada or Evisu. Casuals can easily be spotted by the clothes they wear.”BTP Chief Constable Andy Trotter said: “We know football hooliganism has never gone away. We have noticed a year-on- year increase in arrests across Scotland.”And BTP Constable Stephen Hughes added: “We know a minority of so-called supporters are more intent in engaging in disorder than watching football.”There is a free flow of intelligence and information between BTP and other forces.”We’ll continue to use modern technology – including the net, CCTV, hand-held and body-mounted cameras – to ensure the majority of fans can travel to matches safely.”

Violence erupts at Coleraine flashpoint
Belfast Telegraph
05 October 2009
By Victoria O’Hara

Violence erupted in a flashpoint area of Coleraine last night after youths attacked police with missiles.Ugly scenes broke out in the Heights area in Co Londonderry, where months before Catholic community worker Kevin McDaid was beaten to death. Stones were thrown at PSNI officers and fireworks were set off.The unrest occurred at around 8pm as police responded to bottles being thrown in Killowen Street.After attempting to disperse the crowd officers were attacked.PSNI officers met with community representatives in a bid tresolve the trouble which continued for a number of hours.Police last night said they had no reports of injuries and the situation had calmed.It is understood, however, that officers were still in the area at 11pm.The trouble flared just hours after Rangers beat Celtic in the Scottish League Cup 2-1. In May, Mr McDaid (49) was murdered in the Heights area by a loyalist mob following Rangers’ victory over Celtic in the Scottish league title race.DUP Mayor of Coleraine Sandy Gilkinson appealed for calm.“These people need to get off the streets of the town. This is not helping Coleraine at all”, he said.“This (area) is where the trouble always comes from.“I don’t know all the facts but the football match could have sparked the trouble, that is what sparked it the last time. I just hope people calm themselves down, we certainly don’t want another McDaid situation.“They need to get back into their homes and stay in their homes.He added: “I would condemn anyone attacking police officers, they are out there trying to do a service.”

Italian Soccer Supporters Now Made to Register
The Epoch Times
01 October 2009
By Dana Betlevy

ROME—Italian soccer fans who want to follow their favorite team on the road will now have to carry an official supporter card to gain entry into other stadiums, according to a new government regulation.

The directive that goes into effect in 2010 was established by Interior Minister Roberto Maroni. The directive specifies that stadiums with a capacity exceeding 7,500 spectators will have to provide special access lanes for card holders.Soccer fans can get the supporter card after their soccer club receives confirmation from police headquarters confirming the fan has not been convicted for inappropriate behavior at a stadium in the last five years.One advantage of the supporter card is that cardholders can enter the stadium even if the soccer match has restricted public access. In addition, entrance to the stadium is expected to be faster because of the special corridors reserved for registered supporters.Italy is counted among the countries with the most soccer related violence, according to a report by the U.K.-based Social Issues Research Center. Other countries named were Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The 2005 report, “Football Hooligansim,” says that roughly 10 percent of supporters can be classified as violent.