English soccer’s bid to rid itself of...

English soccer’s bid to rid itself of crowd violence was dealt a new blow when prosecuting lawyers announced they have dropped charges against 89 fans for lack of evidence.

After the collapse of three trials involving followers of several London clubs, the lawyers decided not to press violence conspiracy charges after a major police undercover operation that began three years ago.

What was hailed at the time as a major crackdown on soccer hooliganism has resulted in only seven convictions. Eight fans have been cleared in court and 120 more have had charges against them dropped for lack of evidence.

The charges came after an operation by London’s Metropolitan Police, which infiltrated the soccer gangs by using young, undercover officers.