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August 03, 2006
What iceberg?
This seems awfully arrogant, to me. If I'm the police chief, and there's a possibility hooligans might be at the soccer game at my brand new stadium, I would, you know, at least attempt to pick the brains of people who deal with it all the time:
Bridgeview officers in charge of policing Saturday's soccer match between an MLS All-Star team and English champions Chelsea have not taken advantage of an offer of advice from British cops, despite an earlier pledge to do so.
Fears that soccer hooligans from the United Kingdom may attempt to disrupt the Toyota Park showcase event prompted London's Metropolitan Police Service to offer support to Bridgeview in June.
Bridgeview Police Chief Charles Chigas responded at the time that his officers "will speak with anyone who can help us."
But speaking Tuesday, London Supt. Dave Page — in charge of matchday policing at Chelsea — said nobody from Bridgeview had taken up the offer.
And then...
The "Chelsea Headhunters" — a notorious hooligan gang associated with Chelsea — has followed the team in small numbers to the United States in recent years, but Page described the Bridgeview game as "low key" and said he did not expect trouble.
...
Speaking Tuesday, Chigas said he was unaware that his officers had not contacted their London counterparts.
But he said, "That's a long way for those hooligans to come — I think we'll be fine.
"Things have been going very smoothly over there (at the new stadium)."
Posted by oz115 at August 3, 2006 10:35 PM