Figures released on Monday show a 19% rise in football-related crime

The police are hoping to persuade the courts to ban them from travelling to matches, in time for the European Championships in Portugal next June.

The 400 individuals have been identified by football intelligence officers as having been involved in violence or as being prepared to join in if it starts.

They will be watched at home and away matches, and up to 24 hours a day if necessary, in undercover operations.

The chairman of the Football Supporters Federation, Malcolm Clarke, said the basic idea seemed a good one.

Insofar as these measures appear to be targeted against people who are particularly likely to cause trouble, then I think most fans will welcome that Malcolm Clarke, Football Supporters Federation

"What upsets football fans generally is when police strategies are aimed at football fans as a whole.

"Things like travel bans and restrictions, and bans on away supporters.

"And insofar as these measures appear to be targeted against people who are particularly likely to cause trouble, then I think most fans will welcome that, rather than some of the other approaches which have sometimes been used."

The surveillance is being funded by an extra �5m allocated by the Home Office earlier this month to combat football-related violence.

Some will be spent on recruiting informants against the suspected hooligans, BBC News has learned.

And some has already been used to deploy an extra 50 police officers expert at covert intelligence-gathering operations, with more to follow.

Deputy Chief Constable David Swift of the Association of Police Officers said keeping the troublemakers away was the only method left for tackling hooliganism.

Liechtenstein warning

"It's clear from all parties involved that football is becoming a more pleasant experience for an increasing number of people.

"But there's a relatively few number of troublemakers who won't change, who won't go away.

"So we've only got one option left, which is to control them by excluding them."

A police operation to stop football hooligans attending England's next home match, at Old Trafford against Liechtenstein on 10 September, has also begun.

Greater Manchester Police have sent more than 170 letters to known troublemakers in the county, warning them to stay away from the Euro 2004 qualifier.

There will be a strong police presence on the day, to monitor crowd behaviour and intervene if necessary.

Ban threat

There will also be a strengthened presence at ports and airports to spot troublemakers trying to reach Turkey for England's vital final qualifying match in October.

Tickets are not being made available to England fans because of a history of trouble between fans of the two sides.

European governing body Uefa has threatened to ban the team from the competition if there is crowd trouble before June.

Home Office figures released on Monday showed a 19% rise in football-related offences in the past season.

In a period marred by violence at England's Euro 2004 qualifier match with Turkey in April, 4,793 people were arrested compared with 4,035 the year before, the Home Office said.

Nearly half of arrests at international games - 121 out of 267 - were made during the trouble at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.