England fans shedding hooligan reputation

COLOGNE, June 19 (Reuters) This World Cup could mark a turning point for English soccer fans who are shedding their reputation as hooligans, police and diplomats said today.

The English have a long history of soccer-related violence but fears hooliganism might mar the tournament have so far been allayed as officials say fans have been generally good natured.

''They're doing the reputation of English football, and by extension the country, proud,'' Britain's ambassador to Germany, Peter Torry, told reporters.

''I think this tournament is going to prove a major turning point for the reputation of English fans worldwide.'' Police in Cologne, where England play Sweden tomorrow, said there had been a little trouble in the city in the run-up to the game but that England fans were not the cause of it.

''Now the England fans seem to be the exception to the rule because we've had far fewer problems than with any others,'' Cologne Police President Klaus Steffenhagen told reporters.

He did not say which fans had caused problems or what they were.

He said by far the most frequently asked question to police before the tournament was about how they were going to prepare for the arrival of potentially violent England fans.

''I think the reason for this is that English fans have still got a reputation from the last century,'' he said.

WIDELY PRAISED German police have been widely praised for their preparation ahead of the tournament, their efficiency during it and the move to bring in British police to deal with troublesome England fans.

But the tournament is far from over and heated clashes, both on and off the field, could still be ahead.

Possible knock-out matches against Germany or Argentina, sides that England has a deep-rooted footballing rivalry with and which have large numbers of fans, could be a test for both the England fans' temperament and the police's preparation.

''It will get more difficult as the tournament goes on,'' said assistant chief constable Stephen Thomas, head of the English police mission to the World Cup.

''If it's (a game against) Ecuador there's no problem, if it's Germany you might see the problems that we saw in Dortmund,'' he said, referring to clashes between Polish and German fans after their game last week.

He said one English fan had been arrested overnight for attempted robbery and assault of a German police officer.

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