HIBERNIAN chairman Douglas Cromb last night condemned the so-called
casuals who clashed in a pre-arranged street fight in Edinburgh city
centre before Saturday's Hibs-Dundee United match at Easter Road.
No arrests were made, but Lothian and Borders police rounded up 20
Dundee United followers involved in the fracas in William Street, at the
West end of the city, and put them on the first train back to Dundee.
Mr Cromb is awaiting a report on the incident from the police, but
last night said he felt ''awful'' about the damage done to a public
house, shops, and cars by the fans who terrorised passers-by, many of
them tourists in Edinburgh for the festival.
He said: ''Those people are not welcome at Easter Road. Hibernian
Football Club does not want to be associated with them in any way. They
are hooligans, not football fans.''
It happened about 30 minutes before the kick-off and caused a great
deal of alarm as rival ''casuals'' battled against each other in what is
believed to have been a pre-arranged confrontation. Shoppers were seen
to scatter as they rampaged down the street near the Melville Bar.
Police officers were quickly on the scene to break up the fighting and
send the Dundee United supporters back home.
A police spokesman said: ''It was an unfortunate casual-related
incident at the start of the football season. No one was injured and no
arrests were made.''
During the match, which Hibernian won 5-0, three fans were ejected
from the ground, but there was no further trouble and no arrests. An
investigation into the incident has been promised.
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