England hooligans released

2006-06-26 10:35

Stuttgart - All but two of the hundreds of English fans detained during violence ahead of England's match with Ecuador have been released, police said on Monday.

The last group of 117 was freed late on Sunday and early on Monday after the game in Stuttgart which saw England win 1-0 and advance to the quarter-finals.

"Two Englishmen aged 24 and 27 remain in custody facing charges of causing bodily harm and resisting arrest," a police spokeswoman said.

Some 122 rowdies were arrested after going on the rampage in Stuttgart late Friday and 419 were placed in temporary custody for causing disruption on Saturday.

Police reported nine injuries in fan-related incidents over the weekend, but said there was trouble after Sunday's game that saw England book a quarter-final berth against Portugal in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday.

Around 60 000 English and 15 000 Ecuador fans were in the city for Sunday's match at the Gottlieb Daimler stadium.

Around 1 900 police were on duty in Stuttgart to prevent any incidents, with another 4 000 deployed throughout the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Sapa

- SAPA