Karamanou (PSE).
– (EL) Mr President, the Council's initiative and Mr Deprez' report plug
a huge gap in legislation to prevent and suppress hooliganism and violence at
football matches, which have taken on explosive dimensions over recent years as
a result of the Member States' failure to apply efficient measures.
Without doubt, the commercialisation of
football and the profit motive are the prime cause of violent episodes at
football matches. Brawls are no longer led by wild crowds of fans, they are led
by organised mafias using fanaticism and violence to serve specific illegal
purposes which have nothing to do with the love of sport. In short, it has been
suggested that violence at football matches sells, it brings in a profit.
Violence at football matches is organised and orchestrated nowadays, frequently
using sport as a front for common crime, such as selling drugs and laundering
dirty money, according to an investigation carried out in Britain.
Over recent years, various groups of
hooligans have been making blatant use of new technology, mobile telephones and
the Internet, to organise their activities and, of course, to mislead the
police. This being the case, we cannot create a European area of freedom,
security and justice unless we first create a network of information points and
reinforce police and judicial cooperation between the 15 Member States in order
to suppress violence at football matches.
Of course, the sports associations still
have a crucial role to play in distancing themselves from hooliganism and
teaching their fans the importance of friendly competition, collaboration,
dialogue, respect for other people's differences and peaceful coexistence.
Finally, I should like to point out that
the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens will be a important opportunity to revive the
Olympic spirit and the ideals of the Olympic truce and peace, as an alternative
political proposal to the mindset and culture of violence.