More than 300 people were rounded up by police in Dortmund overnight after German hooligans sparked fighting before the World Cup match between Germany and Poland.
The violence signalled the end of five trouble-free days at the World Cup.
Hooligans threw bottles and chairs at police as they tried to move fans out of the centre of the city and riot police then chased several dozen fans through the city.
Police said those detained included 120 hooligans already known to authorities and around 60 Polish fans.
Some of the Poles were carrying potentially dangerous items while others were on a list of known Polish hooligans.
A police spokesperson said the fans had played ”cat and mouse” with police, but the clashes had only caused slight injuries.
The Germany vs Poland match had been identified by organisers as a security risk because of clashes last year between football hooligans from the neighbouring countries.
Germany won the match 1-0 to move within reach of qualifying for the second round.
England’s once-notorious fans were praised by police for their behaviour in Frankfurt on Saturday, but thousands of officers were on the streets of the former Nazi stronghold of Nuremberg for England’s match against Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday. — AFP
