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Uefa Cup final violence "a disgrace", says PM

16/05/2008

Gordon Brown has branded the violence surrounding Wednesday's Uefa Cup final "a disgrace" and vowed to look at the laws on allowing drinking at sporting events.

The prime minister was responding to questions from journalists at his monthly press conference at Downing Street.

Violent clashes between police and Rangers fans in Manchester city centre were caught on local CCTV cameras.

Some of the most worrying scenes involved gangs of fans charging along streets in pursuit of police officers.

And in one piece of footage an officer is seen being hauled to the ground by fans and beaten before escaping. A police spokesperson confirmed the officer had suffered a broken arm in the attack.

Mr Brown said the acts of violence were "a disgrace" and that his government's response would be to look at the laws about drinking in public places around sporting events.

He also vowed to investigate matters of football violence "as a matter of urgency".

Greater Manchester police (GMP) and the local council have largely dismissed speculation that fans in the city during the day on Wednesday could have been urged to curb their drinking.

The GMP said alcohol "clearly had an effect" but added a small element of the estimated 200,000 Rangers supporters in the city had been "intent on violence".

It is thought the most serious clashes were sparked by a faulty plasma screen in Piccadilly Gardens which broke shortly before kickoff and failed to show the game.