The crackdown comes amid police warnings that the problem is increasing.

The BBC's Khalid Javed reports on the government's proposals

Home Office proposals published on Friday include giving senior police officers the power to ban suspected hooligans from travelling abroad to matches even if they have no previous convictions.

The consultation paper contains nearly 30 measures ranging from re-defining what constitutes a football-related offence to localised alcohol bans.

It also proposes to close a loophole which makes it an offence for groups of supporters, but not individuals, to chant racial abuse.

Kate Hoey: Legislation is aimed at "well organised, criminal thugs"

Speaking at the launch at Arsenal's home ground in Highbury, north London, Home Office minister Kate Hoey said "The government is determined to do its bit to create football culture that simply does not tolerate hooliganism."

Weapons confiscated in north-east England

The government wants to extend the time limit within which incidents could be considered football-related.

Currently, they must happen two hours before a match or one hour after.

The government wants that extended to 24 hours before or after domestic matches, and 72 hours for matches abroad.

BBC Sports Correspondent Kevin Gearey with details of the paper

Sports Minister Tony Banks welcomed the proposals, saying: "Like most football supporters, I have been depressed in the past by the way a small number of thugs have been able to besmirch the reputation of the true fans."

But the Football Supporters' Association said innocent fans could be banned.

Shiela Spiers of the Football Supporters' Association said: "We welcome convicted people being banned from travelling, but we are extremely concerned about suspected hooligans being banned."

The human rights organisation Liberty was also concerned for law-abiding fans.

"Where are the safeguards to protect the innocent?" asked campaigns manager, Liz Parratt. "It would be interesting to consider whether restricting people's freedom of movement in those circumstances could be challenged under European Union law."

Steve Beauchempe: Disagrees with some measures

Some of the proposals were also attacked by Steve Beauchempe, a former leading member of the Football Supporters Association and now a football writer.

"I would actually question the whole suggestion that there is a major problem of football hooliganism in this country," he told BBC Radio5 Live.

"The police's own release of figures say there has been an increase is quite stage-managed to go along with [Home Secretary] Jack Straw's publication of this document."

Double helping against hooliganism

The proposals were published the day after the Football Association announced its own crackdown on troublemakers.

Passport for tickets: The England members' club card

The FA says 35,000 members of the official England supporters club will be asked to disclose convictions for violence or public order offences committed anywhere in the world.

Mr Beauchempe said this was a "disturbing trend" which infringed fans' civil liberties.

The new assault on hooliganism follows a warning from the police's National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) that the problem is on the increase in the UK's domestic game.

It says there has been an alarming number of incidents reported since the start of this season, and arrests for football-related violence have showed a "marked increase".