England fans clash with Slovakia riot police

England got off to a winning start in their bid to qualify for the European Championships in 2004, but the victory was marred by violence.

Goals from captain David Beckham and striker Michael Owen gave England a 2-1 win over Slovakia.

But disturbances between supporters and riot police in the ground and Friday night’s shooting of two England fans threatened to overshadow events on the pitch.

Trouble broke out in the first half of the match in Bratislava, with some fans trying to tear down metal fences separating rival supporters.

Riot police moved in, with some reports accusing them of being heavy-handed.

There were no reports of trouble in the second-half or after the match.

The Football Association lodged an official complaint with UEFA after Slovakian supporters shouted racist abuse at England players Emile Heskey and Ashley Cole throughout the game.

FA spokesman Adrian Bevington said: “The racism is very disappointing.

“Throughout the game Emile Heskey and Ashley Cole, in particular, suffered a torrent of racist abuse whenever they got the ball and they deserve credit for the way they conducted themselves throughout that.”

Heskey added: “It wasn’t just a few people it was the whole stadium.

“It was very hard but we just tried to block it out.”

Some 6,000 England supporters, 4,000 of whom had tickets, made the trip to Bratislava for the game.

Security was stepped up at the ground while the sale of alcoholic drinks was prohibited because of fear of violence.

That fear increased when fans Gareth Jones, 30, from Coventry, was shot in the neck and Phil Holland, also 30, from Warndon, Worcestershire, was hit in the leg when security guards opened fire in a city centre bar near the England team’s hotel.

A number of the England squad, whose rooms were facing the square, were aware of the shots and the fans being treated for the injuries in the hotel doorway.

Police said two suspects working for a private security service had been detained while officers were hunting one more person in connection with the incident

Elsewhere, three England fans were detained by police at one of the city’s biggest hotels, the Forum, in the hours before kick-off.

Meanwhile in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, 10 England fans were arrested after severe damage was caused to a lap-dancing bar.

The National Criminal Intelligence Service said it was believed the violence stemmed from an argument over non-payment of a bill.

In the last 48 hours, some 12 England fans were turned back from various British ports and airports while four were refused entry to Prague.

Yesterday’s game was England’s first competitive match since the World Cup in Japan this summer.

During that tournament, fans were praised for their behaviour.