Germany: German police say they have foiled the plans of an organised group of German hooligans to attack English football fans at the World Cup.
Police in Cologne detained 43 "problematic" individuals ahead of the England-Sweden match on Tuesday after receiving information that they would target English fans after the game.
"Thanks to the work of our spotters we were able to contain them and identify the places where they were meeting," said Cologne police chief Klaus Steffenhagen yesterday.
Eighteen men were detained in a bar in central Cologne shortly after midnight on Tuesday in a swoop that turned into a running battle of flying fists, bottles and chairs. Another 25 men were held in neighbouring towns, he said.
"Our message to them was: 'We're already here.' The group was taken out of action and nothing else happened."
After the match, the 43 Germans were released without charge, but observation will continue for the rest of the tournament.
The attacks were foiled because of co-operation between local police in Cologne and special anti-hooligan divisions. Mr Steffenhagen said a tip-off had led to similar raids ahead of the England-Paraguay match in Frankfurt, foiling planned post-match attacks.
The World Cup has so far been without any serious violent incidents despite huge numbers of people gathering in the host cities. In Berlin alone, about 800,000 people gather on the "fan mile" at the Brandenburg Gate each day to watch the football.
Interior minister Wolfgang Schäuble praised the work of German police. "The security concept has really proven itself," he told a news channel yesterday.