A Euro 2000 Hooliganism Tale
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 6:30 PM

It has been a while since Vice Squad drew upon Paying the Tab, Phil Cook's alcohol control monograph. On page 151, Phil recounts the story of the Euro 2000 soccer tournament, which was hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. The Dutch city of Eindhoven elected to combat British soccer hooliganism by reducing the alcohol content of beer sold during the tournament ("Festival Beer") to 2.5 percent, about half or less of the standard beer alcohol content. (Phil doesn't mention it, but Eindhoven also chose to further liberalize the rules surrounding cannabis, hoping to entice visiting soccer tourists out of the bars and into the coffee shops.) At any rate, the low-alcohol gambit seemed to work, as the England supporters were fairly well-behaved in the Netherlands, especially relative to their comportment in Belgium. Less successful was an attempt in Rome this year to ban alcohol sales for 24-hours around an important football match involving Manchester United; a cannabis tolerance in Portugal for Euro 2004 worked out fine, it seems -- the main violence around the tournament emanated not from the host country, but from a Portuguese-owned pub in England.

Labels: alcohol, Cook, marijuana, Netherlands, soccer

 
Temporary Alcohol Bans
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 11:59 PM

Recent days have brought two high-profile, but temporary, alcohol bans. Teetotaler Hugo Chavez issued a decree that went into effect last Friday; the edict severely limits (but does not eliminate) the legal sale of alcohol through Easter Sunday. Chavez justified his decree as being necessary to reduce deaths from drunk driving. Meanwhile, in Rome, a ban on sales of takeaway (to-go) alcohol for a little more than 24 hours was instituted prior to Wednesday's soccer match between the visiting English squad, Manchester United, and AS Roma. AS Roma won the match, 2-1, but the alcohol ban did not eliminate violent clashes in conjunction with the soccer: one Man U fan was stabbed in the neck, and many others were hospitalized following pre- and during-match clashes.

Even well-intentioned alcohol bans do not go over well with everyone. Two headlines concerning the temporary bans:

"Chavez Alcohol Ban Outrages Venezuelans", and
"Takeaway Alcohol Ban Angers the Locals."

Remember when Portuguese police tried to stem soccer-related violence by tolerating public marijuana smoking?

Labels: alcohol, Prohibition, soccer

 
Prostitutes and soccer don't go together in Guatemala
- posted by Michael @ 3:54 PM

Prostitutes just don't get any breaks. According to Australia's The Age (registration required, or you can get there via Google without registration) a women's soccer team made up of prostitutes was ejected from a tournament in Guatemala. The team named the Stars of the Line was drawn from about 200 women working in the Guatemala City's red-light district called the Train Line. The soccer officials claimed that the team was ejected because of the foul language used by their fans. But the team captain, Valeria, was sure that they were thrown out simply because of their profession. "When they found out we were prostitutes, they tossed us out like cockroaches," she said. "It is really discrimination." BTW, it doesn't look like the Stars were particularly good at soccer. On Monday, they lost to Blue Devils, a team from an exclusive girls school (apparently, no relationship to Duke U) 5:2.

Labels: obscenity, prostitution, soccer

 
Weird Wagers
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 11:03 AM

A friend of Vice Squad brings us our attention to this recent New York Times article concerning legal bookmakers in the UK and Ireland who accept "novelty" bets. So if you have deep insight into which Simpsons character will come out of the closet in January, you have the opportunity to earn a little money. Here's the start of the Times story, written by Lizette Alvarez:

LONDON, Aug. 30 - It took just 69 seconds for John Motson, the well-known BBC soccer commentator, to utter one of his notorious clichés - "these are nervous moments" - during the start of the England vs. Portugal match back in July.

With those words, bookmakers got walloped, paying out at least $36,000 to the 50 people who correctly wagered on the first cliché Mr. Motson would speak that evening on national television. The odds on that phrase started high at 40 to 1, behind "Captain Marvel," for the soccer star David Beckham, "dreaded penalties" and "boy wonder," a nod to Wayne Rooney, the tournament's top scorer.

Betting on a commentator's first cliché may seem a touch absurd to most people, even gamblers, but in Britain and Ireland it is, ahem, the tip of the iceberg.

Later in the story is information about betting via interactive television, a practice that has become quite popular in the UK. And you might be surprised by the nature of some of the gambling:

Britain's largest satellite service, Sky, now offers a dedicated gambling channel called Avago (as in, have a go), where viewers can bet via their digital remote. Tune into Avago in the late morning and witness "Squeal of Fortune," a new show that features a farmhand surrounded by piglets inside a hay-covered pen. He kneels and, as the announcer builds suspense, he grabs a piglet and shows viewers its belly, which features a number from 1 to 9.

"Our pig handler is there," the announcer says, breathlessly. "He is diving in. There is no messing about. It's a No. 1. Confirmation. It's No. 1."

Viewers can also wager on a gerbil, which is spun around on a platform and then scurries off into one of eight surrounding gerbil houses. Bet on the right house, and win at "Gerbil Roulette."

Labels: Britain, gambling, soccer

 
Controlling Drunken Soccer Spectators
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 2:13 PM

The Euro 2004 soccer championship finals will soon be upon us, with Portugal the site for this year's tournament. One problem with these tournaments in the past has been that they attract a critical mass of soccer enthusiasts who are willing (and able, alas) to drink heavily and brawl with supporters of other national teams (or brawl among themselves, for that matter). Four years ago, host nations Belgium and the Netherlands instituted a zero tolerance policy towards fan violence, such that folks involved in any fisticuffs were quickly herded up and shipped home, prevented from seeing any more of the soccer action in person. (Charges were later dropped against most alleged offenders, but it was the arrest, temporary confinement, and exile that was the real punishment, anyway.) There was still a bit of violence (well, even some rioting), but the strict policy was widely viewed as a success.

Preparations are now underway to provide security for Euro 2004. England supporters have traditionally provided more than their share of hooligans, and the UK has greatly expanded the number of citizens (to 2000, with hundreds more to be added) who are covered by travel bans (precluding foreign travel) during the tourney. A new approach to be used by the Portuguese police, however, will be to require alcohol and drug tests of fans who appear to be visibly intoxicated. Though details are sketchy, it sounds as if the screening will take place prior to entering stadium grounds. In other words, entering a stadium while intoxicated will be an offense that precludes admission, even if you are a pleasant, quiet drunk. It is unclear if those who become intoxicated (again, without otherwise misbehaving) during the match will be sent off. It is also unclear how the drug tests will be carried out.

Labels: alcohol, Europe, soccer, testing, zero tolerance