France to crack down on footie hooligans

French football hooligans will be met with a “very firm” response as part of a new anti-crime initiative, the country’s interior minister vowed today.

Nicolas Sarkozy said violence at matches was intolerable, and that he wanted “to toughen penalties against those who behave like hooligans”.

“The situation has become unacceptable,” he told MPs, adding that authorities planned to mobilise at least 2,000 police on Saturday night when Paris Saint-Germain hosts arch-rival Marseille.

PSG attracts a small following of skinhead neo-Nazis who are widely considered the most aggressive fans in French football.

“Who here can be satisfied when racists invade our stadiums?” Sarkozy asked MPs, adding: “We are going to take very firm measures.”

He did not elaborate on the tough new penalties to be proposed, but said that a meeting on the subject was planned with Justice Minister Dominique Perben, Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour, the presidents of French football clubs and federal prosecutors.