South Africa deports Argentine football 'hooligans'
Page last updated at 15:08 GMT, Monday, 7 June 2010 16:08 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version Football fans are gearing up for Africa's first World Cup South Africa has deported 10 suspected football hooligans from Argentina who police say were planning to disrupt the World Cup.
The men, identified as members of the notorious "Barras Bravas" gang, were arrested at Johannesburg airport and found to be on an entry blacklist.
South African police have said the move shows that security preparations ahead of the games are paying off.
The World Cup - the first held on the African continent - begins on Friday.
The men, part of a larger group of about 80 fans, were detained on Sunday after a flight from Angola, and deported on Monday.
At least two of them were gang leaders, and another was out on bail for murder, according to police.
'Loutish'
"Intelligence indicated that these persons would commit acts of public disorder, engage in acts of violence and provoke conflict with certain fans of opponent teams and other groups from Argentina," a statement by police said.
"They are known to have a history of being involved in crime and antagonising local law enforcements," it added.
In Argentina, where hooliganism is common, there have been 241 football-related deaths since 1924, according to Salvemos al Futbol (Let's Save Football), an Argentine non-governmental organisation.
Last week the Argentine authorities gave South Africa a list of 800 known hooligans.
Police in South Africa are not used to dealing with football-related violence, which is rare in domestic games in South Africa.
In the statement, they said that they would not tolerate "loutish and violent" behaviour during the games.
Last month, a group of English hooligans tried to travel to South Africa via Dubai, but were stopped by South African and British police, according to South African Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa.
Up to 3,200 English fans known for disruptive behaviour have had their passports held by authorities to prevent them travelling.
