Blatter: English are leaders on stadium security

Posted Thursday, October 14, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

LONDON (AP)—FIFA president Sepp Blatter praised England’s anti-hooligan record Wednesday and said similar security measures could have prevented the crowd trouble that marred Italy’s European Championship qualifier against Serbia.

The game in Genoa was abandoned after seven minutes on Tuesday night when Serbia fans threw flares and fireworks onto the pitch and sliced through a mesh fence. Seventeen people, including 16 Serbs, were arrested and UEFA warned that Serbia could be disqualified from future competitions.

Blatter commented on the violence after being briefed on England’s 2018 World Cup bid plans by British Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street.

After major trouble with hooligans in the 1980s, England turned all its top stadiums into all-seater arenas without fences around the pitch. Hooliganism at matches has been largely eradicated.

“You have given to the world security in the stadiums,” Blatter said. “You have built all your stadia. There are no fences and everyone is sitting. If this had been the case we would not have had the problems we had in Genoa yesterday at the match.”

Blatter said England had left a “big legacy” to the world in terms of stadium security.

“If only all the national associations in the world, and their leagues (had stadiums like this), we would have more fair play in our game,” he said. “You did it here—and now we say where are the hooligans? They are not in the stadium and this is a compliment to your government and your predecessors.”

Blatter described England as “the motherland of football,” although the country has not hosted the World Cup since its only time in 1966.

England’s European competition in the race for the 2018 World Cup comes from Russia and joint bids from Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium. FIFA will select the 2018 and 2022 host countries in December.

A key component of England’s bid is its plan to invest in developing football around the world.

In their Downing Street meeting, Cameron pledged to match FIFA’s $120 million annual investment in grass roots football around the world each year by 2018.

“England has given so much to football, and England is going on to carry on giving much to football,” Blatter said. “Now England can organize the World Cup tomorrow. England can organize the World Cup—that’s not a problem, but what you are doing is a World Cup for the world.

“The situation is such that your bid has impressed me personally. I will report to the executive committee when they meet (at the end of October) before the December 2 decision.”

Joining Blatter in Downing Street was England’s Italian coach, Fabio Capello. The team stumbled to a 0-0 draw with Montenegro on Tuesday night.

“I wish you good luck (with the bid), and I hope the goals are scored … more than yesterday,” Blatter quipped. Capello responded: “Thank you.”

Cameron lavished praise on Blatter for the success of this year’s World Cup in South Africa, the first World Cup ever held in Africa.

“The decisions you have made have been instrumental in taking the game to new heights—breaking boundaries and reaching new people,” Cameron said. “It was an inspirational thing to see—it will have had a transformational effect, not just in South Africa but right across that continent, country after country.