Police detain 15 England fans in Cologne

COLOGNE, June 20 (Reuters) Police have detained 15 England fans in Cologne for drunk and disorderly behaviour ahead of their World Cup match with Sweden in the city and expect today to be their most challenging day yet.

In the most violent disturbance overnight, 16 German police officers suffered cuts after several England fans pelted them with glass bottles in the city's old town.

One female officer needed to stay in hospital overnight.

Trouble broke out after drunk fans tried to scale a statue in a central square to drape it with England flags. One man fell from the statue at which point police tried to disperse revellers with pepper spray, who then began to throw bottles.

Assistant chief constable Stephen Thomas, head of the English police mission to the World Cup, said six fans had been detained in the old city, another fan for trying to break into Cologne's Rhein-Energie stadium, six for brawling among themselves and another fan for being too drunk to stand.

WELL BEHAVED None have been charged by German police although six have been banned from the city.

''This is a very small level of disturbance by previous experience,'' Thomas told a news conference, stressing the vast majority of England supporters had been well behaved.

''It is a reflection of how far we have moved on that we can be disappointed by this.'' Today would be a difficult day for police however, he said, with Germany playing Costa Rica in the afternoon and England and Sweden starting their match at 1900 GMT creating the potential for tens of thousands of revellers to swarm into the city.

''It will be the most challenging day of the tournament so far,'' Thomas said.

But he added Cologne police had vast experience in dealing with large drunken crowds due to the city's annual carnival.

Under German law, police can detain individuals for threatening behaviour or if they suspect they are likely to commit a crime.

The English have a long history of soccer-related violence but fears hooliganism might mar the tournament have so far been allayed, and banning orders have kept almost 3,800 known trouble-makers from leaving the country.

Thomas said during the tournament German police had either detained or charged a total of 2,695 fans -- 39 of whom were England fans charged with criminal offences with a further 64 English fans detained.

REUTERS AY HT1652