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Germany Judicial Officials Prepare for Hooligans

Sports authorities in Germany are not the only ones preparing for the upcoming World Cup. Judicial officials have comprised a list of fines that will be used as the guidelines for rulings against misbehaved soccer fans during the tournament. The fines range from 150 euros up to 1,200 euros.

The fines will be used only for relatively minor offences, and the fines could be set higher in some cases. The intention is to deal with any foreign troublemakers without long drawn-out legal proceedings.
Among other recommended fines on the list are a 300-euro payment for resisting police officers and 800 euros for incitement. Using the symbols of banned organizations -- an offence that covers displays of swastikas and other Nazi insignia -- would bring a fine of 600 euros.

For more serious offences that involve a possible prison sentence of up to a year, authorities plan to speed up court proceedings, said Roswitha Mueller-Piepenkoetter, the justice minister of the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. "Hooligans should know that they cannot use the World Cup for violent disturbances without punishment," she said.