Germany has seen highly publicized beatings of foreigners and nonwhite German citizens. Figures from the German Interior Ministry show that racially motivated attacks across the country increased 28 percent last year. Since 2005, violence from far-right groups has increased 25 percent, with nearly 1,000 reported incidents. Hooliganism, violence between various neo-Nazi and skinhead groups and racially motivated attacks are on the minds of German police as the World Cup tournament continues.

Bigotry against Muslims, Africans and other dark-skinned people is common throughout Europe. This sentiment extends to the emotionally charged soccer matches, where European fans have been known to throw bananas at African players during games. The day before the World Cup match between Germany and Poland, Croatian soccer fans and Muslims clashed in Mostar, Bosnia, after Croatia lost to Brazil. In April, a Belgian fan punched U.S. team member Oguchi Onyewu, who is of Nigerian heritage, after taunting him with monkey noises.

Germany's far-right National Democratic Party (NPD), an anti-Semitic group, had planned to make a large show of support for the Iranian team during Iran's June 11 match against Mexico in Nuremberg, Germany -- which Iranian Vice President Mohammed Aliabadi attended. Instead, Nuremberg saw Jewish and Iranian exile groups stage a huge anti-Iranian protest. German police broke up only a small counterdemonstration by neo-Nazis. The NPD is already planning a rally in Leipzig, Germany, on June 21, when Iran takes on Angola in a World Cup match. Ostensibly, the rally is a show of support for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rhetoric about the destruction of Israel, and his denials of the Holocaust. These comments have made Ahmadinejad nearly a hero among many anti-Semitic groups.

As the World Cup progresses, teams from African countries such as Togo, Cote d'Ivoire and Angola that could go on to the finals will likely draw fans of African descent from around Europe and Africa. There is concern that skinhead, neo-Nazi or other racist elements will harass or attack these fans. The Africa Council, a coalition of groups representing Africans in Germany, has identified large parts of the country -- including the capital, Berlin -- as "no-go" areas. If an African soccer team makes it to the finals, even strong "no-go" warnings from the Africa Council will not keep most football fans away.

German police officers' security efforts thus far have been quite successful. The German police used one particularly effective tactic in breaking up the riot after the Germany-Poland match, when Polish police officers were brought in to assist German police by personally identifying troublemakers from their own country. However, the mixture of right-wing extremists, African fans, pro-Iranian and anti-Iranian demonstrators, alcohol and scores of riled-up soccer fans will always make for a volatile situation. As the World Cup tournament progresses and the stakes of each game rise, so will the possibility of additional violence surrounding the games.