Police anger after England fan violence in Amsterdam mars win over Holland — will anyone host us now?
- England impressed on the pitch on Friday evening as they beat Holland 1-0
- But the win was marred by hooliganism from some England fans in Amsterdam
- British police have asked why the FA keep scheduling games on Friday nights
- With the behaviour of England fans worsening, will any country want to host us?
The FA's scheduling of fixtures has been questioned by the police after England fans were involved in the worst scenes of violence for years on Friday night in Amsterdam.
One hundred and eight England fans were arrested with eight still detained on Saturday afternoon, the rest having been fined and released.
And British police chiefs have questioned why they were not consulted over the timing of the fixture on a Friday night, which maximised the chance of disorder.
Some travelling England supporters clashed with police in Amsterdam, Holland on Friday
The hooliganism overshadowed England's 1-0 win over Holland and comes in the wake of fans being widely condemned after giving Nazi salutes and chanting incessantly about World War Two at a friendly in Germany last year.
It calls into question whether the FA can reasonably expect European cities to host their friendly games with the current resurgence of disorder among England fans.
'The behaviour of a large number of England supporters was appalling,' said deputy chief constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for football policing. 'Any attempts to downplay it are wide of the mark. It also brings into question the wisdom of having this game in Amsterdam on a Friday night. The police were not consulted before the fixture was announced and we would have raised significant concerns had we been.
'The sad fact is that the drunken mob's behaviour reinforces the negative stereotype of England supporters and will impact on the treatment all fans can expect when they follow the team abroad. The match resulted in the largest number of arrests for a single game we have seen for several years and, unfortunately, it follows a worrying trend observed at recent fixtures.'
England fans inside the Johan Cruyff Arena enjoyed a 1-0 win over Holland in the evening
The FA refused to comment on the scheduling, which appears designed to benefit television, but promised to ban perpetrators.
'We condemn the unacceptable scenes in Amsterdam,' said an FA spokesperson. 'As was reiterated ahead of the fixture, we always urge supporters to respect our hosts and behave in a responsible manner.
'As ever, the FA will work in partnership with the UK Football Policing Unit to help identify those involved and we will sanction any England Supporters Travel Club member found to be responsible for disorder.'
Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters' Federation, said: 'England fans have worked hard over the last decade or so to improve their reputation and disorder has become a rarity.
'It is not in the interests of the regular England followers for the anti-social behaviour to creep back in as it will inevitably impact on how we are received and treated by host police forces elsewhere.'
Two fans on the streets of Amsterdam after the game, one holding a couple of pints of beer. There is no suggestion that anyone pictured was involved in any disorder or criminal behaviour
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