LONDON, April 7: UEFA is working to try to introduce a cross-border sports police force to keep order at European soccer matches from next season, a British newspaper reported on Saturday.

Games involving English clubs Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in Europe this week were marred by violent clashes between fans and local police in Rome and Seville.

“We are looking to create a type of European sports police, a way of dealing systematically with the problem,” The Daily Telegraph quoted a senior official of European soccer's governing body as saying.

UEFA President Michel Platini recently called for the setting up of an international police force to deal with sports related violence.

“We need cool heads. First of all, we cannot tolerate violence in any form off the pitch, but we also have to understand the mechanics of it,” said the UEFA official, who was not identified.—Reuters