TOP COP CONDEMNS WOLVES BAN ON CARDIFF

20-01-2007

One of Britain's leading police officers has criticised today's ban on Cardiff City supporters from their team's game atMolineux. More than 250 fans are expected togatherinstead for a protest meeting in the centre of Wolverhampton.

Cardifffollowers have been involved in disturbances at Wolves for two successive seasons, but feel that the incidents - especially a flare-up at a tea bar in the ground last season - have been blown up out ofproportion.

That hasn't stopped theclub's Black Country club'schief executive Jez Moxey from excluding them - a measure which, of course, discriminates against peaceful, law-abiding supporters as well as the hooligan minority.

The lead football officer for the Association of Chief Police Officers Stephen Thomas has condemned the move.

Thomas, who is also theDeputy Chief Constable for Greater Manchester said:"I am disappointed to see a situation where a football club is unable to welcome visiting supporters to a game, especially in a situation where a visiting club such as Cardiff City is concerned, as they, their supporters and the local police have worked so hard and successfully over recent years to prevent disorderly behaviour."

Healso expectedfans of several other clubsto turn up, including at leastfour members of Wolves London supporters club.

The event was thrown into confusion this week when the Chief Constable of the West Midlands Paul Scott Lee said he wasn't aware that any approach had been made to hold the demo - but as The Stirrer reported, two members of his own force were present at a meeting earlier this month and were part of the safety group which gave it the go-ahead (read it here).

Powell, who is an Arsenal fan, said, “Nobody needs to tell me about Cardiff fans. I got attacked there once at a cup tie but the people I don't like are the arseholes who did - not the other 20,000 who didn't do anything”.

He said he was concerned that West Midlands police might be geared up for confrontation - wearing “hats and bats” as he put it - and called for a restrained approach.

“What we want is high profile, low friction policing. There are going to be women and children there and they just want to have a good day out.”

To see what Cardiff fans make of the ban, check out this video

http://www.valleyrams.ca/video/wolves_protest_080107_bb-h.wmv