Polish, German fans arrested

UEFA have confirmed 157 people were arrested after violence flared before, during, and after Germany’s Euro 2008 victory against Poland on Sunday.

Supporters clashed in the Austrian city of Klagenfurt although UEFA played down reports of injuries.

A spokesman for UEFA said: “Klagenfurt reported 157 arrests during the match, mainly Germany supporters who were arrested in the city centre but the police said the situation cleared rapidly, nobody was injured and no material damage occurred.”

European football’s governing body denied suggestions the local police were ill-prepared for the number of fans which descended on Klagenfurt.

The spokesman added: “We have gone through all kinds of scenarios with Swiss and Austrian police, with the help of European police forces.

“There is no specific plan for every match. We think the overall concept works well.

“Sensitive matches are dotted around the map of Austria and Switzerland, you can turn anything into a sensitive match if you think twice about it.

“We are not particularly worried about a single episode. We have a global concept we apply, match by match and city by city.”