This stuff gets dragged up before the start of tournaments. It's organised crime (South Africa), Mafia (Italy) and now racist violence.

These competitions are such a big deal for trade, and as a showcase, that the governments stamp down on these things immediately, and will have a lot of security in place.

I'd be surprised if anything serious really kicked off. Racism isn't a huge problem with English football these days. No doubt some fans are racist, in the same way that some police are racist, or MP's. Some will be scientologists or Freemasons.

People are generally stupid, and stupidity spreads itself across a cross section of the country.

Let's not forget that at Euro 96, people were worried about us.

Quick question for Sean - I enjoyed reading your post, but can you please explain how being a Hibs "ultra" gives you an insight into the world of these guys?