Arrested Envelopment

Although FIFA is doing its best to ensure that Ecuador fans gets as few tickets as is practicable, there may yet be some empty seats at Sunday’s match in Stuttgart. Seems the German riot police are detaining as many as 250 England fans after fighting broke out amongst rival fan groups. The accused were rounded up and held in the city square until the polizei wagons arrived. This is in addition to the 122 England fans arrested on Friday night in the same city.

Those arrested are expected to be held until Monday night, I suppose to ensure that they will miss the match. The head of the state police made no bones about saying that the donnybrook was the fault of the English fans in attendance.

This is obviously a very small percentage of fans, and even of England fans, who are causing this trouble. On the whole, it seems that the disturbances have been kept to a minimum so far in this World Cup. And that’s as it should be. The football has been pretty great. We can’t let a couple of odd screwballs ruin what is evidently the fantastic atmosphere in the game cities.

Here’s to a great match tomorrow in Stuttgart.