The 2002 soccer World Cup draw was a confusing and nerve-racking affair for the national team coaches and officials attending the ceremony in Pusan, South Korea, and for the many fans watching on television all over the world. For Japanese soccer officials, the collective sigh of relief never happened. Once England was placed in Group F, its hope that it might not have to deal with soccer hooliganism evaporated. England plays in Saitama, Sapporo and Osaka and, if it manages to qualify for the second round, in Niigata or Oita. Should England progress further, its quarterfinal and semifinal matches will also be in Japan.
Michel Zen-Ruffinen, FIFA's general secretary, has recently been reported as playing down possible hooligan problems at the World Cup, and claims that keeping details of antihooligan measures secret will give security forces the advantage. Are such reassurances justified? History tells us that such confidence is probably premature and that the measures taken by the authorities may prove largely ineffective.
In Britain, new passport-control laws and directives to magistrates to take tough action against hooligans and prevent convicted troublemakers from traveling to the World Cup have been implemented. In Japan, a new bill was approved allowing immigration officials to refuse entry to soccer hooligans and activists, and to expel those convicted of offenses in Japan. While similar "tough" measures have been taken before, they did not prevent hooligan riots at the 1998 World Cup in Marseille or in Brussels during the Euro 2000 tournament.