2006 FIFA World Cup Coverage

Unique joint effort bolsters security

By TIMES WIRES
Published June 7, 2006

BERLIN - What is billed as the biggest joint operation in history between European police started Tuesday when 323 officers from 13 countries arrived in Berlin for the World Cup.

The officers, whose ranks will increase another 200 in the next few days, plus plainclothes agents will be sworn in as German police officers for the duration of the tournament, which starts Friday.

"We have never seen a European operation in this dimension," said Christian Sachs, spokesman for Germany's interior ministry, which is responsible for World Cup security. They will team with German officers, but have the power to arrest fans from their country or send them home.

"For us to give up that much sovereignty would have been unthinkable a decade ago," said Wolfgang Schaueble, Germany's interior minister. "It is an excellent symbol of the growing cooperation in the European Union and the power of football to bring things together."

Officers will be deployed at points of travel and work in Cologne inside ZIS, Germany's central office for controlling hooligans. Countries will also send "spotters," plainclothes officers who are experts on the hooligan scenes back home who will follow potential troublemakers.

Mexico is sending seven federal police agents, who will provide security for their team and help Mexican citizens in Germany.

Midfielder and U.S. captain Claudio Reyna said his strained right hamstring has healed and he's set for the opener. He sustained the injury, the latest in a succession of them for the 32-year-old, last month during an exhibition. Reyna played Monday night as the United States defeated Angola 1-0 in a closed-door exhibition.

Injured England striker Wayne Rooney trained with the team, putting considerable pressure on his recovering broken foot. Rooney returns to Manchester, England, today for another scan. England has until Friday to determine if the 20-year-old can play in the World Cup, and replace him if he can't.

Paraguay's soccer federation denied it was involved in the illegal sale of World Cup tickets. The federation was accused of selling tickets for first-round matches against England and Sweden. FIFA appointed a group of independent auditors to look into the case after a report by a British newspaper.

Togo's players, who have been bickering with the national federation over bonuses and pay, reached a settlement a week before their opening match against South Korea.

Thierry Henry and Djibril Cisse are likely to lead the attack in the team's opening World Cup match against Switzerland. Coach Raymond Domenech named the pair to start today's exhibition against China.

No Italian teams will enter the Intertoto Cup this year due to the corruption scandal in Italy. The top three teams from the third-tier European competition annually win a spot in the UEFA Cup tournament. Also, FIFA president Sepp Blatter wants decisions from investigators sometime next month.

[Last modified June 7, 2006, 08:16:50]