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UPDATE 1-Soccer-Britain to review drinking powers after UEFA Cup

Thu May 15, 2008 11:13pm IST
 
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(Updates with fans charged, paragraphs 4,5)

LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) - Britain will review police powers to stop violent public drunkenness, fearing clashes surrounding Wednesday's UEFA Cup final in Manchester may hinder bids to host major soccer events, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

The decision announced on Thursday followed fighting between Scottish fans and riot police in the centre of the northern English city after Zenit St Petersburg's 2-0 win over Rangers, resulting in 42 arrests with 15 police being injured.

A Russian fan was stabbed in the back at the stadium before the match although the wound was not life threatening.

Manchester police said on Thursday that 11 Rangers' fans, all men, had been charged with criminal offences stemming from the violence, including one charged with assault and one with throwing a missile.

Twelve Rangers' fans were given a caution and 11 more were freed on bail pending further investigation, the police said.

"We do have laws that enable us to control drinking in public places where there is a risk of disorder and we will have to look at these laws for the future," Brown told his monthly news conference.

"I want to do everything to avoid us being put in a position where we might be at risk of an application, for example, for the 2018 World Cup not being acceptable because of this."

The fighting erupted when a giant screen showing the match to thousands of ticketless fans, many of whom had been drinking all day, broke down.  Continued...

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