THREE suspected football thugs have had their passports taken from them to stop them travelling to today's England World Cup qualifier in Germany.

They were stopped at Manchester airport just before they were due to jet out to watch the crucial clash.

Undercover police officers detained Duncan Bradshaw, 32, Paul Rawson, 31, and Lee Tattershall, 31, under powers provided by the new Football Disorder Act.

They were taken before magistrates in Manchester yesterday.

Officers have been running a surveillance operation all week at Manchester Airport.

They stopped and questioned the men an hour before they were due to board a Lufthansa plane bound for Frankfurt.

Officers checked their names against the National Criminal Intelligence Service and Lancashire Constabulary records.

Acting on intelligence and reports they confiscated the men's passports and applied to the court to stop them travelling out of the UK.

The court heard the defendants all had a long list of previous convictions for public order related offences at football matches.

All three appeared in the dock together.

Bradshaw of Brunshaw Avenue, Burnley, wore a Burnley FC tattoo on his right arm, a striped T-shirt and blue jeans.

The court heard he had previous convictions going back to 1985. The most recent was in December 2000.

Rawson of Bluebell Grove, Burnley, also wore a Burnley FC tattoo on is right arm. He wore a blue shirt and jeans.

He had a list of offences between 1988 and 1998.

Tattershall of Sycamore Avenue, wore a grey polo shirt and blue jeans.

He was first convicted in 1993, the court was told. The last was a public order offence at Carlisle. He was last spotted by police at Millwall's New Den ground where Burnley won last Saturday.

Deputy District Judge Michael Walker ordered the three men to reappear before the court for a two-day hearing starting on October 29.

Police officers will try to persuade the judge that under the new Act the men should not be allowed to travel to any international football match home or away.

Judge Walker granted the men conditional bail. They were ordered to surrender their passports until 8.30pm today and must not travel out of the UK during that time.