A convicted Oxford soccer fan was arrested by police in a dramatic raid seconds before he was to board a train for England's friendly international against France today, writes Emma Henry.

Police, using new powers to stop 22 football fans travelling to Paris, arrested Richard Bowman, of Freelands Road, Oxford, as he waited at Waterloo yesterday afternoon to board the Eurostar train.

The 28-year-old, who was given a three-month suspended jail sentence by Dublin magistrates after violence broke out on the terraces of an England-Ireland friendly in 1995, was taken by British Transport Police to Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court in London where a banning application was adjourned until September 27. He was bailed on condition he surrendered his passport. The Football Disorder Act, which came into force on Monday, means officers can stop anyone they think is likely to cause trouble and take away their passports in the five days leading up to an international game.

The new police powers were rushed through Parliament after the violence at Euro 2000.

Oxford police area spokesman Duncan McGraw said: "Our officers linked up with staff from the National Criminal Intelligence Service and through good detective work discovered that the fan would be travelling on the Eurostar."

Bowman, who has also previously been banned from Oxford United's and Oxford City's grounds, was one of 22 suspected hooligans arrested by police who wanted to stop them attending the friendly in Paris.