Crowd violence has marred the last rounds of both international and domestic competition in Germany but will not affect the 2006 World Cup, officials have promised.
Supporters ran amok in Slovenia before the two countries met in a recent friendly. 50 German fans were detained by police and three people were injured in the violence.

The problems then began at home, with violence breaking out at three second division matches on a scale rarely seen in German domestic football.

But Gaby Kautz, the spokesperson for sport at the German interior ministry, said that strong co-operation between German "fan projects" and the FA would help ensure such scenes were not repeated in 2006.

"The recent attacks in Slovenia are really a disgrace to football - for all of European football, and for German football as well," she added.

"But we are very convinced, because of our good preparations since 2000, that things like this will not happen in Germany next year.

"We will not let hooligans destroy a peaceful and a happy football celebration."

Sensitive strategies

Forward-thinking projects set up over recent years had largely eradicated violence, making the latest events all the more surprising.

Rather than simply increasing police numbers, the government in the 1990s launched special fan projects - run by trained social workers - who liaised with clubs, fans, the football federation, and the police.

These schemes had been "very helpful" in preventing violence, in particular in football stadiums, Kautz added.

"Fan projects can talk to the fans in a different way - they can prevent the young football fans, who perhaps are getting in contact with hooligans or violence, from drifting up to the hooligan scene," she said.
"They have a close and very deep link to the football scene, and to fans of the clubs. They are very important."

The fan projects were also able to develop sensitive strategies for helping the police deal with violent fans.

"If you are able to bring people to a round table, communication gets easier," she stressed.

"You get to better know how other people think, and why they deal with things in that way. Communication is much better than it was 15 years ago."

Thomas Jelinski, a social worker from Berlin's Fan Project at the Olympic Stadium which will host the World Cup final, explained that the fan project worked by being the first point of contact with stewards, other fans, police and the club - in this case Hertha BSC.

"We can try to help with problems they may have in everyday life - problems with employers, school or parents, problems with drugs or debt," he added.

"We offer help."