More than 100 arrests follow Euro 2008 matches

Swiss police said on Saturday they made more than 100 arrests following Friday's Euro matches between Holland and France and Italy and Romania in Berne and Zurich.

Both matches drew tens of thousands of fans to the cities above and beyond those who had tickets and the ATS news agency said more than 100 people were detained in Berne across the evening as the Dutch sent France packing 4-1.

A Berne police spokesman said 158 people also had to be treated for knife wounds, one person suffered a broken jaw as trouble broke out among inebriated fans, some of whom had been taking drugs.

Some 150,000 people, including around 60,000 Dutch fans, poured into the fan zones in central Berne, according to municipal authorities.

Normally, the entire population of the sleepy town is just 135,000.

“We have reached the limits of our capacity to deal with this,” said mayor Alexander Tschappat.

In Zurich, where Italy and Romania parted 1-1 to leave the Italians staring elimination in the face unless they beat France, six fans of the Azzurri were arrested on Friday evening outside the Letzigrund stadium after causing trouble and injuring a steward.

Police spoke of five other arrests on Saturday after scuffles in central Zurich.

In Basel, where the Dutch are set to play their quarter-final, organisers described the “atmosphere is good and peaceful” after some 20,000 people gathered to watch the match against the French on a giant screen.

Another 50,000 gathered to watch on a giant screen in Geneva, where police said they had made seven arrests while two people were hurt in an alcohol-fuelled scuffle.

Nonetheless, organisers of the event said things had generally been going well as the tournament reached its midway point.

“The main challenge remains managing immense crowds which these matches draw,” a federal defence department statement read.

Last Thursday, 16 fans of different nationalities were arrested following minor disputes in Klagenfurt, Austria, when Germany and Croatia met, according to police.