This past Thursday, 10 supporters of English soccer club Liverpool were stabbed while in Italy to watch their club take on AS Roma in a UEFA Cup clash.

Many of the injured were stabbed in the buttocks, no doubt providing painful memories of their Roman jaunt every time they sit down.

The majority of North Americans seem to have a common reaction to European soccer hooliganism: What the hell is that all about?

Americans and Canadians seem to prefer their violence on the field of play, as evidenced by the popularity of such sports as ice hockey and NFL-style football (although if the new XFL has anything to say about it, we may soon see a few more full-scale brawls like the one that erupted at the L.A. Xtreme's recent home opener).

With soccer's World Cup due to hit these shores in the summer of 2002, I thought I might try to find out a little about what fuels these weekend warriors.

Alcohol is usually a big factor, but more often than not, an average fan of the game can just get swept up in the euphoria and excitement of the occasion.

"Often, you don't even know each other," says a former part-time hooligan from Wales, who went by the name "Bear" in his rowdier days. "You'll hear rumors in the train on the way to a match or in the bar about a meeting, and that's often how these things get started."

And the Bear should know: He took part in a couple of battles as a fan of Cardiff City in the 1980s.

"The first time, I was about 15 and it was at a home game in Cardiff," recalls Bear. "Unfortunately for them, the train taking the Swansea City fans away after the match was held up right next to the ground. Without thinking, we grabbed some bricks and just started throwing -- you almost feel like it's expected of you. They (the Swansea fans) started unscrewing the lightbulbs on the train and tossing them back at us."

That wasn't Bear's last outing with the Soul Crew, as Cardiff City's hardcore element is known.

"A few years later, I heard a rumor that a bunch of Cardiff fans were meeting at a pub in Swansea's city center. We had a few beers on the train on the way down and a few more in the pub. The leaders of the group sent out a few 'hooligan scouts' to track down some Swansea fans. When word came back that there was a group of them down by the main square, pints were downed in seconds.

"We rushed down there, grabbed some Swansea fans and started kicking the s**t out of them. Eventually, the police showed up to put an end to the festivities."

During this second encounter, Bear was working as a journalist, dispelling a widely held myth that all hooligans are unemployed, drunken louts with nothing to live for but laying a beating on a fellow lowlife. Bear says you'll find everyone from pastry chefs to mechanics -- and even the odd accountant -- among the ranks of the soccer hooligan.

Bear, who also mentions that a professional Welsh forward for Cardiff City was caught on film taking part in hooligan activities during the European Championships in Belgium last summer, says looking back on his violent past it was "stupid, immature, I wouldn't do it again."

So why even do it in the first place?

"The main ringleaders are the true thugs more interested in the fighting than watching the games or actually supporting a team. Guys like me -- basically the real 'fans' -- get sucked in with the excitement of the moment and feel compelled to go along with the group.

"I might even try to be a peacemaker now," he adds.

When asked if he thought hooliganism would be a problem at the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea, Bear says he is doubtful.

"With the games being split between Japan and Korea, and the difficulty in getting tickets, I don't think you'll see many hooligans here," he says. "Also, it's a long way from Europe; it's not like hopping over to Belgium or France."

So, if you are lucky enough to get tickets to a World Cup match here in Japan, you should be able to enjoy the event in relative peace. If you plan on attending an Italy match, however, you might want to consider wearing kevlar underwear.