Quiet start to Euro, police say

Euro 2004 fans have caused only minor trouble, with a handful of arrests for fighting and ticket scalping, Portuguese police said yesterday.

Four fans, including three Englishmen, have been arrested on public disturbance or assault charges since early Saturday, said Commissioner Alexandre Coimbra. Seven people have been arrested for illegal sale of tickets.

"Outside of these illegal ticket sales... absolutely everything has taken place normally," Coimbra told a news conference.

Authorities have stressed tight security amid fears of hooliganism, especially from English fans, and attacks by radicals.

Police in riot gear cleared away fans who blocked a street overnight at Lisbon's central Rossio square, Coimbra said.

A 29-year-old English fan was arrested for attacking two French fans in the square, which was crowded with fans and participants at a street festival.

The man was identified by British police officers who are helping Portuguese authorities control soccer fans, Coimbra said.

British police, however, said there had been no sign of the worst kinds of English soccer hooligans.

"The significant thing is that those most maligned, most evil, most violent individuals have not appeared. What I saw last night was a different breed, under 30, hopelessly drunk and anti-social," David Swift, head of the British police team for tournament, told a news conference.

England fans rioted at the European Championship in Belgium and the Netherlands in 2000. UEFA has warned England they will be expelled from this tournament if there is a repeat.