The Czech Republic justice minister says football fans must behave or face being banned from attending matches for violent and race-related incidents. Speaking on Wednesday ahead of the resumption of the Czech's top league this weekend after a winter break, Daniela Kovarova said fans could be banned from stadiums for up to 10 years under a new penal code. Authorities said the measure, modeled on a similar one applied in Britain, was in place to curb violence and racism in Czech stadiums. Sparta Prague was forced to play a Champions League match against Arsenal in 2005 with a third of its stadium closed because of the racist behaviour of its fans. UEFA also fined Sparta on that occasion but Prague's Jewish representatives complained later that anti-Semitic chants had not stopped.
The Associated Press
