OSAKA -- Concerted efforts by Osaka municipal officials and British government representatives to assuage fears of hooliganism in advance of the June 12 World Cup match here between England and Nigeria seem to be paying off.
More than 200 people who live and work near Nagai Stadium, the site of the match, attended a town meeting Thursday evening and were urged by a panel of five experts from Japan and England not to confuse boisterous fans with hooligans.
"Please don't think that just because British fans are loud that they're hooligans," said John Watts, Tokyo correspondent for The Guardian newspaper. "The actions of the British government in impounding the passports of football fans with a history of violence combined with the cost of coming to Japan should ameliorate much of the problem. My fear is overreaction on the part of police."