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WORLD CUP USA ’94 ROUND OF 16 : Spotlight : AIN’T MISBEHAVING

By HELENE ELLIOTT
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Fears that rowdiness might mar the World Cup festivities in Orlando have proved groundless, and Ireland’s Charlton hopes the peace remains unbroken.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, there were more incidents of petty theft and violence in the two weeks preceding the tournament than in the first two weeks the event brought thousands of tourists to town. So far, the worst incidents have involved bar patrons who refused to leave at closing time.

However, fears of hooliganism have been rekindled because Monday’s game between Ireland and Holland matches teams whose followings are among the largest--and most outgoing--of any World Cup entrant. Charlton expects the rivalry to stay on the field and not carry over into the streets of Orlando.

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“No matter what the result, the Irish and the Dutch have always gotten on very well. I’m sure whatever the result Monday, they’ll both have a party and sing songs,” he said.

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Helene Elliott

Helene Elliott was with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports department from 1989 to 2024, first as a staff writer and then, starting in 2006, as a columnist. She became the first female journalist to be honored with a plaque in the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport as the 2005 winner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Award, awarded to writers “who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.” A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has covered 18 Olympics.

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