Hooligans Invited to Watch Tv With Police

Spain's most violent football hooligans may soon be invited to watch their favourite team playing for free - on a television set at the police station.

The interior ministry confirmed yesterday that they were considering, in talks with the clubs, allowing judges and police to force violent fans to see games under the watchful eye of the police to prevent the violence that has marred the end of this year's football season in Spain.

Officials were unable to say whether giant screens would be erected at police stations or whether fans would be forced to watch from behind bars.

The plan has angered those who feel fans should simply be locked up.

"Can you imagine police stations full of hooligans comfortably watching their favourite team play while police officers work around them?" asked Luis Ignacio Parada, of the conservative ABC newspaper.

The interior minister, Mariano Rajoy, is discussing the anti-hooligan measures to counter the rise in violence, both on and off the field, including attacks on journalists before last week's Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The passions unleashed in the final matches of the season have brought ugly confrontations between angry fans and players. "One day a fan is going to jump on to the pitch with a pistol and kill a referee or a player," said Real Zaragoza's captain, Xavi Aguado, yesterday after furious fans invaded the pitch when his team were relegated to division two.

Players have also taken part in the violence.

Zaragoza's Roberto "the Bull" Acuna chased one fan around the pitch last week, kicking him repeatedly.

Tenerife's Federico Lussenhoff chased another down the street with his car, only to have a brick thrown through the driver's window.

Football authorities have accused some clubs of protecting neo-fascists that form the core of the violent fans.

A judge refused police permission last week to enter Real Madrid's stadium to remove fascist emblems, ruling that they were not illegal.