Party mood gives police little to do at World Cup

The off-the-field calm of the World Cup's opening day extended into Saturday, thanks to intensive security and a party mood after England's first win.

English believe they've corralled the main potential troublemakers by ordering more than 3,500 known soccer hooligans to hand over their passports. But with up to 65,000 English watching their team beat Paraguay 1-0 -- one of three games in different cities on the tournament's second day -- security was heavy.

Frankfurt were ready wherever fans congregated, some wearing helmets and bulletproof vests also toted video cameras.

They had little to do; there were no reports of post-game scuffles or arrests.

Flocks exuberant English supporters prepared for the game by heading to bars in the morning. By the final whistle, victory and the afternoon heat persuaded many who watched the game on a giant, floating screen to plunge into the River Main, which bisects this financial capital.

Police there were 65,000 English fans in town -- 40,000 at the stadium and 25,000 around the city center.

"A party mood reigns," said Volker Bouffier, the region's top security official.

It was a contrast to Friday night, when 20 people were arrested, mostly for alcohol-related offenses.

"There was a fairly tense atmosphere at times," said Stephen Thomas, an assistant chief constable from Manchester and part of the British contingent working with German police. He credited local police with knowing how to handle the crowds.

One Englishman believed his country's fans had changed since violent eruptions such as at the last World Cup held in Europe, the 1998 tournament in France.

"The people here, I think, have realized that England's fans are not what they have been portrayed to be," Luke Walters said.

There was more trouble with English fans back home than in Germany.

Police London and Liverpool reported scuffles among fans watching the game on public viewing screens, though neither incident was described as serious.

Back Germany, there were no reports of trouble at the later games: the surprising 0-0 tie in Dortmund between the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago and Sweden, and Argentina's 2-1 win over Ivory Coast in Hamburg.

Not that all Germany was conflict free. In the western industrial city of Gelsenkirchen, the day began with a far-right political rally.

About supporters of the National Democratic Party (NDP) were outnumbered by left-wing counter-demonstrators. Police separated both sides, though counter-demonstrators shouting "Nazis Out" managed to pelt NDP supporters with tomatoes. There were no arrests.

Such confrontations are routine in Germany -- though in the run-up to the World Cup, a spate of attacks on nonwhites increased concerns over racism.

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