Rowdy English Fans Celebrate Peacefully

Fears of fan violence fizzled Sunday as tens of thousands of raucous English supporters peacefully celebrated their team’s advance to the World Cup quarterfinals under a heavy police presence.

Beer, expletives and patriotic songs flowed freely -- but an evening downpour and victory helped restrain the crowds.

It was a contrast to Saturday, when riot police arrested more than 500 English fans who hurled bottles and plastic chairs in separate outbursts.

In the free open-air viewing area in Stuttgart, Germany, on Sunday, middle-aged couples and families with children -- some carrying the German flag -- mingled with those wearing flags or baring patriotic tattoos.

“It’s a party. We’re here to have fun,” said Kevin Penfold as he swapped his red England shirt for an Ecuadorean one from Ana Cecilia Pinos Flores, who struggled to wear her sweat-soaked acquisition.

Nearby, an English fan with his chest hairs dyed ginger and shaved in the shape of a cross grinned benignly in an alcoholic daze as his friends covered him in a flag. Others bellowed songs about downing German bombers in World War II.

Nearly 2,000 police officers patrolled this normally pristine southern city, a force boosted by hooligan experts from England. It was a model of cooperation that so far has helped prevent widespread trouble at this World Cup.

Police spokesman Olaf Petersen said nine fans were arrested for minor public-order offenses. Authorities estimated that 30,000 English supporters watched the match in the downtown area, with tens of thousands more inside the stadium.