Suspected football
hooligans hired a fleet of limousines in a bid to sneak past officers policing the
Football Association of Wales Cup final, police said today.
A total of 35 people were arrested before,
after and during the game between Cardiff City and Swansea City last night.
Those arrests included a group of 32
Swansea fans, aged between 16 and 43, who were arrested in Cardiff city centre before the
game in a move to prevent violent clashes during the game.
Chief Inspector Graham McCarthy, who was in
charge of commanding the match, said many of the Swansea fans were arrested after arriving
in between six to eight limousines.
He said that arrangements before the game
involved all the 1,300 fans from Swansea with tickets for the game arriving at Ninian Park
in 27 coaches, paid for by Cardiff City owner Sam Hammam.
The Swansea supporters had bought vouchers
which were then replaced for tickets on the coaches during the trip to Cardiff.
"There has been a history of animosity
between certain factions in both clubs so it had been organised that Swansea fans were
given vouchers instead of tickets so they were all travel by buses supervised by Swansea
stewards," he added.
"We had our intelligence officers
around Cardiff and some became aware of suspicions being raised about a group of Swansea
city supporters who had arrived in the city centre by limousine."
They were arrested and held at various
police stations around the Welsh capital before being escorted to Cardiff Central Railway
Station and on to trains back to Swansea.
Three men were today charged with violent
disorder and throwing missiles following violence during and after the game, which Cardiff
won 1-0.
A 24-year-old man from Bridgend, south
Wales, was charged with throwing a missile and a 41-year-old man from Pontypridd, south
Wales, arrested after the game was charged with violent disorder.
South Wales Police added that a 21-year-old
man from Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, arrested during the game as part of Operation
Bellow, has been charged with violent disorder.
The operation was launched following
trouble at the game between Cardiff City and Stoke on May 1.
An 18-year-old man from Bargoed, south
Wales, arrested at his home yesterday as part of the Operation has also been charged with
violent disorder.
All four have been bailed to appear before
Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday, May 20. |
