Hooliganwatch™: Kick Ahead - Any Head

The clock is ticking and those nasty hooligans are making their final preparations for the World Cup in Germany. The week’s big news comes from Hooliganwatch™ regular Poland where more than 200 people were arrested following a match in Warsaw. No reports of chainsaws in use, but fans tried to break into a liquor store and attacked police with paving stones. Poland officials are starting to get serious and are promising to tighten the country’s border controls ahead of this summer’s fun.

Meanwhile, a shop in Kent, England has caused a bit of an uproar by selling t-shirts bearing the slogan “Always Kick Ahead - Any Head” alongside England football strips. Paul Alcock, a former referee in top flight football and now manager of the shopping center where the store is located said: “Can you imagine people turning up for the World Cup in Germany with T-shirts like that on?”

Those things would be selling off the racks if they were translated into Polish.

Finally, Dutch scientists are working on a sound system that can neutralize racist chanting in football stadiums. The system is still being tested and so far no clubs have signed on to have it installed. Said one of the researchers involved with the project: “If you frustrate an audience by making it impossible to chant, you need to be very careful how you channel their frustration. If they stop chanting but start rioting out of frustration, then you’re worse off.”

As you can see, even the best intentions can go awry in the rough and tumble world of Hooliganwatch™.