The English hooligan problem was at its worst outside Britain, when fans went to international matches abroad. Violence in Argentine football, by contrast, has reached a point in recent years where it is rarely even a confrontation between the hardcore fans of rival teams.

Now, factions who support the same team fight each other. At stake is control over a number of money-spinning ventures linked to their clubs.

It might appear paradoxical at first that just when Huracan have produced a stylish attacking team which nearly won the Argentine league title, their hardcore fans should to go war with each other.

Two men died and a number of people were injured in recent fighting in the Buenos Aires barrio of Parque de los Patricios just hours after the team’s 3-0 home win over Arsenal had put them a point clear at the top of the standings. (They then unluckily lost the title decider to Velez Sarsfield.)

Fighting between groups from the same set of fans has nothing to do with on-field performance, except that a more succesful team generates higher crowds and therefore more business for the gangs (control of parking in the area, the sale of food, resale of match tickets and even drugs.)

La Zavaleta, a faction that had been marginalised a few years ago and kept quiet while Huracan languished in the National B championship (second tier), wanted a piece of the action but the powerful Jose C Paz and El Pueblito groups were reluctant to let go and violence ensued.

The government and the Argentine Football Association via its president Julio Grondona, tried to argue that the killings had nothing to do with football because they occurred far from the ground and were committed by criminals who don’t care about the game.

They are constantly criticised by the media and by organisations representing victims of football violence for not taking preventative measures.

Thugs seem able to carry all kinds of illegal items into grounds under the very eyes of the police.

Unusally, the Jose C Paz faction posted an apology for the violence on a website although it went on to say La Zavaleta needed to be taught a lesson.

The lesson clubs never seem to learn is that as long as they give favours to hardcore fans and allow them to exercise power in and around the clubs, the violence will not go away.

PHOTO: River Plate fans are arrested by the Argentine police near the Monumental stadium before their Argentine First division soccer match against Velez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires September 9, 2007. They were arrested following a fight between two different River Plate fan factions. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, World Cup organiser Danny Jordaan and just about everyone else involved in the 2010 finals have been playing down the risk of violence and crime in South Africa and in hundreds of reports over the last five years I have always been prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt.

That was until last night when I was effectively “mugged” by two uniformed police officers who demanded “pounds or dollars” before they would let me go on my way. In the end I handed over 200 rand (about 15 pounds) — and they showed their “gratitude” in the most astonishing way.

I covered the Spain-New Zealand match for Reuters in Rustenburg on Sunday evening and drove the 120-miles back to my hotel in Sandton City after the game.

I left Rustenburg at midnight, made good time without incident, dropped off my travelling companion at his hotel and was nearing Sandton when I saw a flashing light about 200 metres ahead and realised a policeman was indicating by torchlight for me to stop. I did.

After the usual pleasantries of, “How are you tonight sir,” and a check of my driving licence and passport, they quickly cut to the quick, ordered me out of the car and asked me where I had been and if I had been drinking.

I told them “Rustenburg” and no I hadn’t been drinking as I was driving. Seeing my Confederations Cup accreditation tag around my neck they asked me what I thought of the game which Spain won 5-0.

I thought we might have a plesant discussion about Fernando Torres’ 17-minute hat-trick, but they didn’t seem too bothered about that. They then asked me where I was going.

When I told them the name of my hotel, which was only about five minutes drive away, they told me I would never find it.

I told them I had a very reliable SatNav. They told me it was useless and I would get lost. Only they knew where my hotel was and after giving me directions asked me for their money.

“Where are our dollars or pounds, sir ?” they asked in a more threatening manner.

I gave them their cash and they let me go.

A minute later I saw their blue light flashing in my mirror again. This time I was rather more concerned.

They pulled me over again and the younger of the two said: “You will get lost sir,” and in no uncertain terms indicated I follow them again.

Bizarrely, they took me directly to the hotel — blue lights flashing all the way.

“Good night sir,” they shouted as the car park barrier raised, “and be careful, it is very dangerous on the roads in South Africa at night.”

You can say that again.

PHOTO: Dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the Confederations Cup at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg, June 14, 2009. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

Supporters are in the firing line after incidents at this weekend’s World Cup qualifiers.

England fans were criticised by coach Fabio Capello and stand-in captain Rio Ferdinand for booing Ashley Cole after his mistake led to a goal in the 5-1 win over Kazakhstan. 

Wembley supporters have a habit of booing their own team in recent times and Capello was at least grateful they gave his side a reasonably easy ride in a goalless first half.

But with tickets costing a lot in these troubled financial times, do fans have the right to boo if the standard is not up to scratch? (more…)

A Serbian soccer fan, tried for attempted murder after assaulting a plain-clothes police officer with a burning flare during a first division game last December, has been sentenced to 10 years in jail.

The verdict has triggered a nationwide debate among the country’s soccer fans over whether Uros Misic, a 20-year old Red Star Belgrade supporter, has been punished too severely or got exactly what he deserved.

Misic’s 20 or so companions in the courtroom threw verbal assaults at the judicial panel and had to be restrained by security while five of them were detained for questioning as the authorities showed a new level of determination to crack down on what the presiding judge called an epidemic.

Some believe the landmark case may be a turning point in Serbia’s desperate fight against soccer violence. Do draconian punishments deter hooligans from their senseless acts or could they make the problem even worse?

Misic’s Red Star comrades displayed banners of support for him in a league match the day after he was sentenced and chanted his name for the full 90 minutes. 

Serbia has been plagued by soccer-related violence in the past 15 years as a series of bloody conflicts tore the former Yugoslavia apart and resulted in what many analysts saw as a decay in moral and social values.

The first backlash was spiralling madness in stadiums, which the authorities appeared powerless to stop even after several fatalities where the culprits by and large got away unpunished.

A nation crippled by years of isolation and economic mismanagement seemed indifferent until the horrific scenes at Red Star’s ground, when Misic inflicted multiple burns on the policeman’s body before trying to force the flare down his throat.

At the trial, he based his defence on the assumption the victim was a rival fan. In the end, that may have made matters worse for Misic and prompted the judge to throw the book at him. 

Give us your thoughts.   

PHOTO: An injured plain clothes policeman (R) tries to arrest a man during an incident between Red Star Belgrade fans and police in Belgrade Dec. 2, 2007. A policeman was seriously injured when Red Star fans clashed with police during the Serbian first division soccer match against Red Star-Hajduk. REUTERS/Stringer

Sonia Oxley blogged here last week on whether we might see a repeat of the violence which marred the UEFA Cup final last week at the Champions League final in Moscow.

UEFA officials say they don’t expect any trouble, and certainly no retaliatory attacks on Manchester United or Chelsea fans but last week’s rioting on the streets of Manchester and stabbing of a Russian fan raises wider questions about who is to blame, and whether violence can ever be completely kicked out of soccer.

UEFA says it can’t solve the problems without the help of the police and local authorities. The clubs say they cannot be held accountable for the behaviour of all their fans. Politicians say it is a deeper sociological problem. But still the violence goes on.

After AC Milan’s victory over Liverpool in Athens, European soccer’s governing body has stepped up its security measures, notably introducing new modern turnstiles, specialised staff training and more cooperation with local police.

But the common denominator between Athens and Manchester was ticketing. UEFA says it has done just about everything to curb forged tickets or to stop tickets getting into the wrong hands.

But officials say, if the violence continues, they may be forced to introduce biometric entry via fingerprint or eye scan in the future. Has soccer really come to this?

PHOTO: Russian interior servicemen sit in trucks with a soccer poster in the background as they get ready to provide security measures in central Moscow, May 20, 2008.  REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov