Beijing detains fan in crowd behaviour crackdown

BEIJING, July 30 (Reuters) Beijing has started a crackdown on disruptive spectators at sporting events by detaining a 20-year-old man who organised fellow football fans to shout abuse at matches, state media has reported.

As the one-year countdown to the Olympics Games approaches, officials are concerned that rude or disruptive behaviour by Beijingers might mar next August's sporting spectacle.

The unemployed man, surnamed Hao, launched a Web site called ''Capital JM Union'' in March and called on Beijing Guoan fans to join him in abusing referees and other teams in the salty local slang known as ''Jing Ma'', the Shanghai Daily reported.

''The Jing Ma is a traditional cultural heritage of the old capital ... We loyal Guoan fans who like the Jing Ma are attending every match and following the organiser's instructions,'' police cited one posting on the site as saying.

''Let our Jing Ma dynamite Fengtai Stadium!'' said another posting that has not yet been deleted.

For ''disrupting the order of major public events'' the man was detained for seven days and banned from entering Guoan's temporary home at Fengtai Stadium and all other football venues for 12 months.

Five of his fellow fans were fined and warned by the police.

The official Xinhua news agency said Beijing police were stepping up their work on disruption at sporting events and the name of anybody breaking the law would from now on be recorded.

REUTERS SAM PM1112