OFFICERS from Greater Manchester Police's Football Intelligence Unit will be targeting known football hooligans in the run up to next Wednesday's friendly between England and Holland.
The two teams are due to play in Amsterdam at 8.30pm on Wednesday and Operation Goal is being launched at Manchester airport, on Monday, ahead of the game.
High-profile uniformed officers will be patrolling the airport, alongside officers from the Football Intelligence Unit who will be identifying known troublemakers and preventing them from travelling to the match.
The Football Intelligence Unit is a dedicated unit working to identify known hooligans, which has had a great deal of success in the past. During Euro 2000, officers from the unit helped identify individuals who were brought to the attention of the authorities in Germany.
A number of known troublemakers were refused entry to Dusseldorf as a result of intelligence supplied by GMP, others were also discouraged from travelling after being advised by officers from the unit that they would not gain entry to the country.
DC Mark Gilmour who is leading today's operation said: "The information we gather on hooligans can be vital for other countries in preventing trouble at matches, and I can assure known troublemakers we will pass on any information we have.
"I would warn anyone attempting to travel to Wednesday's game that they will be checked on leaving the country and those trying to travel whilst the subject of a banning order will be stopped."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article