Europe Cracks Down on Soccer Hooligans

Sports ministers from 21 Western European countries Thursday adopted a binding international treaty to minimize future outbreaks of violence at soccer matches.

The ministers’ meeting followed a series of bloody incidents in Europe’s soccer stadiums that culminated in a May 29 riot at the European Cup final match in Brussels, where 38 people were killed.

Under the agreement, soccer clubs and stadium owners would have to segregate rival spectators at matches and impose strict controls on ticket sales to prevent the intermingling of rival fans.

The sale of alcohol at stadiums would be restricted or banned, and spectators would be forbidden to bring in any objects that could be used as weapons.

Meanwhile, a draft bill published by the British government would ban alcohol from soccer stadiums and impose jail terms and fines of up to $1,280 for liquor possession in or around the grounds. Fans would also would face criminal penalties for possession of alcohol on buses and trains taking them to the matches.

Olympic champion Said Aouita of Morocco ran the second-fastest 5,000-meter race ever in a track and field meet at Bislett Stadium, Oslo.

Aouita was timed in 13:04.52, just four seconds off the world record of 13:00.42 set by England’s David Moorcroft on July 7, 1982, also at Bislett Stadium.

Norwegian organizers installed a new synthetic track at the stadium, and England’s Steve Cram also benefited from it, running the third-fastest 1,500 ever. Cram’s time of 3:31:34 gave him a victory over Steve Scott of the United States, who was timed in 3:34.58.

The Golden State Warriors announced that they have decided to match a multi-million dollar offer from the Milwaukee Bucks to Joe Barry Carroll in an effort to keep the 7-foot center.

At a press conference in Oakland, Warrior General Manager Alvin Attles made the announcement along with coach John Bach. Neither Carroll nor Warrior owner Franklin Mieuli were present.

Attles said Mieuli told him that the team would be willing to match an offer from the Bucks calling for Carroll to receive a reported $7.5 million over five years, along with a $2-million bonus for signing that is due by July 1.

“I was happy when I got the call from Franklin,” Attles said. “We won 37 games with him (Carroll) two years ago and only 22 without him last year.”

Carroll, however, has said he doesn’t want to play with the Warriors and last year went to Italy to play rather than accept an $800,000 salary the team offered.

Carroll was the first pick in the 1980 NBA draft and in his first four seasons with the Warriors, he averaged 20.1 points a game and was a strong defensive player.

Mieuli secured a loan worth a reported $4 million at this week’s NBA meeting from James Fitzgerald, former Buck owner, and it may have made the difference in the Warriors being able to match the offer to Carroll.

An out-of-court settlement was reached in the Ralston Purina Co.’s $60-million lawsuit against the National Hockey League. The suit, filed in 1983, alleged that the NHL violated antitrust laws by blocking the company from selling the St. Louis Blues to a group of Canadian investors who planned to move the team to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

In a $78-million countersuit, the NHL contended that Ralston had broken its contract with the league by failing to give two years’ notice of its plan to sell the team and had withheld important information about the proposed sale.

Both Ralston Purina and the NHL declined to disclose the terms of the settlement.

Names in the News

Olympic gold medalist Paul Gonzales of Los Angeles signed to make his professional boxing debut against an unnamed opponent in a six-round flyweight bout Oct. 8 at the Long Beach Arena.

Infielder Duane Kuiper, a 10-year veteran who hit only one home run in 3,379 at-bats, has been given his unconditional release by the San Francisco Giants. He will work on the team’s radio broadcasts.

The Hockey News named Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers the NHL Player of the Year and Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins the Rookie of the Year.

Doug Flutie, the New Jersey Generals’ quarterback, practiced for the first time since injuring a collarbone June 1, but Coach Walt Michaels said he will not know until Monday whether Flutie will play that night in an opening-round USFL playoff game against the Baltimore Stars.