Football / World Cup: Dutch police warn fans

DUTCH police have promised to take stern action against unruly supporters at next Wednesday's World Cup qualifying tie between England and the Netherlands in Rotterdam.

'We will not tolerate any disturbance of public order,' Peter van Zunderd, a Rotterdam police chief, said. Van Zunderd, who is in charge of policing the district around the Feyenoord Stadium where the match will take place, was speaking at a news conference at the headquarters of the National Criminal Intelligence Service in London yesterday.

Minor offenders will be handed on-the-spot fines and there will be a special sitting of a court on the day after the match to deal with more serious matters. Van Zunderd said no tickets would be available on the day, and warned: 'If you don't have a ticket, don't come to the Netherlands.'

People arriving drunk at the border, or even in Belgium or France, would be turned back and anyone arriving drunk at the stadium would not be allowed in. Seven hundred extra officers will be on call and police will also be watching Amsterdam and other cities.

'If we arrest them, even in the weekend before the match, we will keep them in custody until after the match,' Van Zunderd said. 'Then we will bring them in court, we have an extra sitting on the Thursday, and we will not extradite them before they have a verdict in that court.'

This will delight British authorities, who have criticised foreign police forces for simply sending England fans home instead of taking court action against them.