Sapporo gives fans a chilly welcome
June 7, 2002
England fans arriving in Sapporo for tomorrow's crucial World Cup match against Argentina are being given the cold shoulder by locals as fears spread that there could be widespread unrest between rival supporters.
The Guardian
Despite the fact that there has not been any serious trouble involving England fans since the tournament started last week and their behaviour has generally been pleasant, scaremongering stories in the Japanese media about the threat of English hooligans has led to Sapporo mounting a near shut-out of visiting fans with locals turning a blind eye to the World Cup.
There are no flags or signs welcoming visiting fans, as in many of the other World Cup venues and local residents and businesses appear to view the tournament as a hindrance rather than an opportunity to showcase this outpost, on Japan's northern island, one of the least inhabited of the four that make up the country.
Anyone arriving in Sapporo would be hard pushed to discover that an international football tournament is taking place.
Bars in the centre of Sapporo have been refusing admission to England fans, saying they will only serve Japanese locals. Night clubs have been turning away England fans and other foreigners who are in the city for the World Cup. One sign in the Universe bar in Sapporo read: "World Cup supporters is not aloud. Members only, we are very sorry because we don't speak English."
Most bars in Sapporo are either going to close tomorrow or are refusing to show the England against Argentina match, claiming that they do not want to serve any football fans. Hotels in the city are also refusing to show the match in their bars or lobby areas, telling guests that they will have to watch it in their rooms.
Around 6,000 England fans are expected to attend tomorrow's match at the Sapporo Dome but dozens have turned up without tickets. A giant screen is being erected in Sapporo's Citizens Hall, to allow those who do not get into the stadium to watch the match but they will not be allowed to eat or drink.
Even though there was no hint of trouble yesterday, many businesses in Sapporo plan to close tomorrow for fear of trouble. Some shops took the drastic step of boarding up their windows while a local garage moved out all its new cars from the forecourt following fears that they might be damaged.
Signs in shops and hotels warned football fans that "talking loud" will not be tolerated and and neither would "drunken behaviour, items with strong offensive odour and gambling".
Ron Hogg, assistant chief constable of Durham police who is in Sapporo to help the local security operation, conceded that some of the precautions being taken were a bit over the top.
Mr Hogg said: "There's still some local concern amongst retailers [about trouble] and I have to say that at present that's a bit unwarranted."
It is not only England fans who are suffering from local antipathy towards the World Cup.
Supporters of Ecuador and Italy, teams that played in Sapporo earlier this week, were also complaining that they were not allowed into bars and that many restaurants would not serve them.
The majority of England fans spent yesterday relaxing in a park in central Sapporo or sightseeing.
While the city itself is an ugly concrete jungle, it is surrounded by lush countryside, rolling hills and mountains that make the region the winter sports capital of Japan.
England fans were a little dismayed to have travelled thousands of miles for a World Cup only to discover that there is one sport locals in Sapporo do not like - football.
England fan James Moore, 40, from Hereford, said: "The England fans here are not troublemakers but we are paying for the reputation the hooligans have acquired. The locals seem very paranoid. It seems strange that a city hosting a World Cup match does not want to welcome fans from around the world."
Meanwhile, tickets for tomorrow's match, currently fetching up to £500 on the black market, could be sold officially by Fifa, world football's governing body.
Fifa and World Cup organisers have been embarrassed by the number of empty seats, with not a single match so far a complete sell-out.
Fifa officials plan to put tickets on sale on their website but the amount of traffic to the site has led to it crashing. One option being considered is to sell remaining tickets in Japanese convenience stores.
It is not known how many tickets could go on sale for tomorrow's crucial encounter but demand is likely to be high given the large number of England fans who have arrived in Japan without them.