Call for clubs to pay for policing FOOT THE BILL FOR SOCCER POLICING; Clubs urged to pay up for match-day officers.

Byline: Mark Hookham

MERSEYSIDE'S three main football clubs were last night urged to pay up for the true cost of providing police cover at their games.

The chair of Merseyside Police Authority wants Liverpool, Everton and Tranmere, as well as the Football Association, to bear the brunt of paying for policing football.

Games such as Saturday's Merseyside Derby which sparked various incidents of disorder including three arrests near Goodison Park -often involve large-scale police operations.

Currently, the clubs only pay for policing within their grounds and its immediate perimeters, with the police authority picking up the bill away from the stadiums where much of the trouble occurs.

Liverpool and Everton contributed pounds 684,869 to the cost of police cover inside Anfield and Goodison last season but that is not a true reflection of the total cost to the force, which is thought to run into millions.

Merseyside Police says it is extremely difficult to quantify that cost but Nottinghamshire Police, a force which covers three smaller league clubs Continued on

than Merseyside, spent pounds 2.4m on policing football last season. Police authority chairman Coun Carol Gustafson said: I would love for the FootballAssociation and the football clubs to pay for more on match day. I wouldn't say it (paying for policing) is a burden but we get money from the Government that is for policing the streets of Merseyside.

``I would, however, like to stress that the region's fans are well behaved and the policing second-to-none.''

The Association of Chief Police Officers are currently in talks with the Premier League, FA and Football Leagueabout policefunding.

DavidSwift,ACPO's spokesman on football issues, said the discussions are ``sensitive'' and would not com-ment. A British Transport Police spokesman said each year they spend pounds 10mnationally on policing fans. ``We would like to see some sort of arrangement to recover the costs,'' he added. Everton FC pay around pounds 200,000 a year for policing within Goodison Park and make a pounds 20,000 contribution towards neighbourhood policing in north Liverpool.

Stadium manager Norman Wibley said: ``Our supporters pay their taxes as does the club itself and for this we are entitled to enjoy the benefits of policing on matchdays.''

LFC stadium manager Ged Poynton said: ``The clubs should definitely not pay. I believe other organisations who put together big events do not pay into the pot for policing so why should the footballclubs?''

Merseyside Police assistant chief constable Mick Giannasi said: ``Footballis a vital part of Merseyside's heritage and culture and we a remore than happy to play our part in that through the policing of matches. ``Policing of football matches is not something which is optional for us and the demand on the Force in terms of resources is great.

``Resourcing the matches clearly does take officers away from their duties on the Neighbourhoods,but we plan well and Merseyside is effectively policed elsewhere when matches areon.''

Opinion -Page 10