FA condemn "attitudes of old"

THE Football Association have condemned the way in which "attitudes of old" made an unwelcome return off the pitch at England's Euro 2004 qualifier in Slovakia.

The FA were particularly incensed at the racial abuse of Emile Heskey and Ashley Cole, with the Slovakian FA yesterday issuing a formal apology as UEFA's official investigation began.

They were also concerned at the perceived heavy-handed policing methods of the Slovakian police.

However, the FA, who discounted suggestions that Slovak fans should be barred from the return fixture, were

also keen to stress that they strongly opposed to:

England fans singing the "No Surrender to the IRA" refrain in the middle of the national anthem;

All booing of the opposing team's national anthem;

Any "violence or intimidating behaviour" by those following England.

The FA have worked with security officials, police experts and the Government to ensure that the hooligan

element which has tainted the England team should be eradicated.

They have made steady progress since the Euro 2000 finals, when England came close to being thrown out, with 1,200 banning orders in place for the qualifier in Slovakia.

However, in contrast to the World Cup finals in Japan, when the hooligans stayed away and England's supporters were a source of pride, the trip to Bratislava echoed the bad old days of the past.

FA spokesman Adrian Bevington said: "Everyone thought that it was fantastic during the World Cup, the way in which England fans were being hailed for their behaviour.

"So it was disappointing to find ourselves in a situation last weekend, where the attitudes of old appeared to return," Bevington said.

"In no shape or form are the FA saying that we condone violence or intimidating behaviour by anyone travelling abroad to support the England team. We condemn it totally.

"Any political or racist chanting, including the well-known No Surrender, has no place around the England team.

"That is something which the FA, along with proactive individuals within the supporters' groups, have spent the past four years trying to eradicate.

"It is something that had been reduced significantly before the weekend, while we would also condemn anyone who boos the national anthem of the opposition."

The FA, meanwhile, can only realistically be held responsible for the behaviour of members of their official group, known as "englandfans".

Bevington added: ''The FA spend a great deal of money every year to administer a vetting system which

ensures all fans in the 'englandfans' official group are clear of any convictions for violent or football-related

offences."

In the pre-match security briefing in Bratislava, British police said that they knew of many fans arriving without tickets.

"They said that they did not want these fans to be put behind the goal with the official England fans or,

indeed, to be allowed in the ground at all," Bevington said.

"We were assured that there would be barrier checkpoints in place around the ground to ensure this," he said.

"However, there were several fans in that area without tickets and many more whose tickets had not been checked.

"The area was full beyond capacity and when the police charged the fans back 10 or 15 yards, innocent people were being crushed in a manner which has historically led to disaster."

However, as for banning Slovakian fans from the return fixture, he said: "We are confident that our security officials are experienced enough in policing matches at the highest level."