May 24, 2002

SAPPORO, May 24 (DS) - The closer the World Cup, the bigger security problems are; problems with hooliganism and terrorism come to the fore ahead of the tournament. Nearly all the Korean and Japanese cities are troubled with such concerns and Sapporo has, probably, the biggest headache of all.
According to Daily Yomiuri, the residents of Sapporo have more on their mind than the quality of their seafood, which is renowned to be excellent: hooliganism is the issue of the day, or more specifically, for this World Cup.

It should be mentioned that the residents of this laid-back city are concerned as archrivals Argentina and England meet in Sapporo Dome on June 7.

"We are happy to host such a good game in Sapporo but on the other hand it could be difficult for us," says Kazuaki Yamagata, manager of the city's promotion office for the 2002 World Cup.

"Argentina and England have had a political and military conflict with each other in the not-too-distant past and we are worried about potential hooliganism. So, in that sense, this match will get a lot of attention from all over the world.

"We have a responsibility to control and manage the game very carefully. We don't expect there to be so many hooligans coming to Sapporo but, at the same time, the police have to expect the worst situation."

So, Japanese police must try to avoid the same story took place for years ago in France ahead of England's first game, when running battles were fought on the streets of Marseille ahead of the nation's match against Tunisia.

"The media has been full of reports about hooligan violence and that has worried the average person here," continues Yamagata. "Right now the atmosphere is half scared and half excited. But in the future we hope the local people will feel no fear and they will be able to go about their regular daily life during the tournament.

"Some people will have to deal with the fans as part of their business but hopefully everything will be peaceful."

Despite the tense situation that could be observed before the match, there are no plans to restrict the sale of alcohol on match days. The city's nightlife district, Susukino, will be the obvious scene for all pre- and post-match activity. The linguistic problems may cause troubles for foreign fans, there is a concern that they could be misinterpreted as causing trouble in a city that is so on edge.

Western visitors are not too common in Sapporo, which is something of a surprise given the city's size and status as Hokkaido's administrative center. And, while the people are friendly and helpful, the language barrier will remain a tough one to overcome.

"We have many tourists coming here, especially from Southeast Asia and other countries in the region, but this time we are expecting many people from Europe and South America," says Yamagata. "These are new countries for us so it's a good chance for Sapporo city to promote itself to the world.

"We have held various international events in Sapporo in the past so we would like to take this opportunity to show Sapporo as an international city."

The most unique thing with Sapporo is the Dome where the World Cup games will be held.

While the World Cup has been played indoors before - in 1994 in the United States, when the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit hosted four matches - Sapporo Dome brings its own unique feature to the concept.

The stadium's pitch will be "hovered" into the Dome using the world's first air hovering mobile system after spending the last few months outside the venue, being exposed to as much sunlight as possible while being protected from the harsh Hokkaido winter. So, the supporters will be able to observe something quite novel and unique they haven't seen before.

Dailysoccer