 The raids were carried out by seven police forces |
Twenty-eight people have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder after England played Wales at Old Trafford in a World Cup qualifying game in 2004. Seven police forces carried out raids on Monday morning in connection with violence in Manchester on 9 October.
The men were arrested in Staffordshire, Lancashire, the West Midlands, Wiltshire, Cheshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Hampshire.
One man was arrested at a barracks in Staffordshire by Royal Military Police.
Officers also discovered what they think is a cannabis factory in the Wolstanton area and a man was arrested on suspicion of cultivating a class C drug.
Police say there are about 10 more suspected football hooligans who have yet to be identified.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers, who co-ordinated the raids, spent months studying CCTV footage from cameras around Manchester city centre.
Police officers will be patrolling the England v Northern Ireland World Cup qualifier on 26 March to find those who have not yet been named.
Asst Ch Con Stephen Thomas said football violence would "not be tolerated".
"Football is a sport that everyone should be able to enjoy and it should not be blighted by mindless hooliganism," he said.
Pooled resources
"A dedicated team of detectives from GMP have worked closely with football intelligence officers from the eight other forces over the last six months to identify the people believed to be involved in the disorder after the England and Wales game.
"The groups of men are believed to have been affiliated to different UK football clubs."
Fifteen men were arrested by Staffordshire Police in Stafford, Bucknall, Blythbridge, Penkhull, Trentham, Longton, Parkhall, Stoke, Silverdale, Wolstanton, Bignall End, Talke and Newcastle under Lyme.
Three men were arrested in Burnley and one in Bacup, Lancashire, while two men were arrested in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and in Macclesfield, Cheshire.
One man was arrested in Wiltshire and one in the Nottingham area, while West Midlands Police arrested two men in Walsall, West Midlands.
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The groups of men are believed to have been affiliated to different UK football clubs
