Worthington Cup: Don't mistake passion with aggression, Cup police warned

Welsh officers were today warned not to police the Worthington Cup final with a "fortress mentality".

South Wales Police Chief Superintendent Jerry Toms said there was no evidence that the Liverpool and Birmingham City match on Sunday at Cardiff’s £126m Millennium Stadium would bring serious disorder.

Mr Toms, who is in charge of 750 officers on ’Cup duty, told them not to misinterpret the passionate and noisy behaviour of fans as signs of trouble.

He told a meeting of senior commanders at Cardiff Central police station: "This is the first major football event that we have had. It is the first time we have been exposed to football on this scale of a Premiership standard.

"We have an extreme amount of experience dealing with a host of public events but do not have the experience of dealing with this type of spectator."

Mr Toms said the noise and intensity of passion "could be intimidating for officers. It is very important that we don’t misread these signals".

But he warned: ‘‘Officers cannot go out on the streets with a fortress mentality. There was nothing to suggest there would be serious misbehaviour.

‘‘The vast majority of fans are law abiding football spectators with a passion for that sport."

Mr Toms dismissed insults and taunts which have been traded between fans on Internet sites.

He said: "A lot of it is rubbish or the ramblings of the insane."

Fans will be segregated in the stadium but not in the city centre.

South Wales Police is set to draft in a quarter of its force for the game.

It was announced earlier this year that the FA Cup and Worthington Cup finals will be played for the next four years at the 73,434-seater stadium until Wembley is rebuilt.

There will be 200 officers in the stadium who will work alongside 1,000 stewards.

And 50 officers from Liverpool and Birmingham will also travel to Cardiff on the day to help with policing.

Concern had been raised that the pitch may not be suitable for major football games, being made up of more than 7,400 pallets of grass which left it uneven.

More than 80,000 square metres of new turf from the Vale of York have now been laid and no other events have been planned at the stadium until the final.