40 arrested before England-Germany clash

German police said on Saturday they were fully prepared to cope with an invasion of soccer hooligans after arresting 40 mostly German fans overnight ahead of a crucial World Cup qualifier against England.

Most of the arrests were made in Frankfurt, where about 450 German and 150 English fans, en route to Saturday's match in Munich, rampaged through the red light district, breaking the windows of cars, shops and pubs as they fought each other.

Of the 35 people arrested in Frankfurt, 10 were English. There were only minor injuries, police said. Five people were detained after scuffles in Munich, four of them English.

Millions of people in Germany and England are transfixed by the match, the biggest clash in world soccer this year, between the two traditional sporting rivals.

The German hooligans were well organised and had come to Frankfurt seeking confrontation with English fans, said Manfred Feist, a Frankfurt police spokesman.

Many England fans are taking cheap flights to Frankfurt airport and taking the train down to Munich, a three-and-a-half hour ride.

"We had German fans that had come in from all over the country, many of them skinhead types and really ready to make trouble. We already had more than 100 officers down there because we had expected problems," Feist said.

"We're keeping them in the cells until after the match. There's no point letting them out before, they'll just go down to Munich to cause trouble there."

One England fan outside Frankfurt's main railway station said "It'll be a good result if we get out of here in one piece."

MUNICH BRACED FOR TROUBLE

The trouble in Frankfurt put authorities on red alert in Munich, where police said they had "absolutely sufficient" resources to cope with violence.

"Violent fans are on their way to Munich from all over Germany. We have to see where they're coming from and what they will do when they get here," said Munich police spokesman Andreas Ruch.

Around 1,000 violent German fans, including neo-Nazis, are expected to come to Munich to cause trouble at the game.

In Munich, heavy rain and a strong police presence meant that Friday's feared night of violence between rival fans failed to materialise.

Border guards were patrolling Munich airport where thousands of England fans are expected to arrive throughout the day.

Police expect about 60,000 supporters to attend the game in the Olympic stadium, of whom 6,000 will be English supporters with tickets.

Up to 4,000 England fans are expected to turn up without tickets and the police have 30 officers specially trained to deal with them.

Germany are favourites to qualify for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, but the match is vital for both teams.

Both countries' fans have a reputation for being among Europe's most unruly.

English clubs were banned from European competitions for five years in 1985 after 39 mostly Italian fans died in rioting before the European Cup Final in Brussels' Heysel stadium.

(Additional reporting by Clifford Coonan and Madeline Chambers)