EU police force could patrol football

European Union Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini has joined UEFA boss Michel Platini in saying the continent needs a police force dedicated solely to taking on incidents of football-related violence.

Frattini said the Europol-based, EU-funded force would be deployed during special sporting events and be a "police for sport."

Platini had previously spoken up for a football force. The request seemed more timely after a pair of fatal shootings earlier this year in Italy. "Football, as I have said before, cannot deal with this problem alone," Platini said at a news conference. "We need the political will from all EU countries to combat this problem.

"These (shootings) moved things forward. I have the feeling that other countries which haven't been through such dramas must prepare for them and not wait for new ones to occur."

Frattini said a force could be built and trained in time for EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland if approved by the EU.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.