As English football raises its eyes from the horrors of Istanbul, it begins to shudder at the chilling potential of a midsummer weekend in a small town in Belgium.
The threat of serious trouble at Euro 2000 has been acknowledged ever since the draw brought together England and Germany in Charleroi on the evening of Saturday, June 17.
The sense of history is oppressive, the stadium is tiny and the followers of both teams are notoriously prone to sickening excess.
Some time ago it was difficult to imagine a more alarming scenario, but now we are forced to try. On Thursday June 15, Turkey play Sweden in their group match in Eindhoven. The Turkish fans will spend the night in the Dutch city before moving south-west towards Brussels for their final group game with Belgium on Monday June 19.
You will see, therefore, that for at least three consecutive days, and after weeks of vicious mutual recrimination, the English and Turks will be separated by less than an hour's drive.
Inevitably, those who identify the possibility of catastrophe will be accused of inflaming prevailing passions. So be it; far better to face the prospect now than to have it thrust in our faces in 10 weeks' time. Yet the events of the past few days have not reassured us that the unthinkable will be thought and the necessary decisions taken.
The absence of footballing fatalities these past few seasons had encouraged Official England to believe that all was well. True, an alarming number of drunken English fans had behaved despicably in Rome and Marseille, but they successfully blamed vindictive foreign policemen and provocative foreign fans, and somehow they were never properly called to account for their conduct.
Sure, there were other disturbing incidents in places like Birmingham, Cardiff and Bristol; but again, nobody died so nobody really cared. After all, England was in the throes of a World Cup bid and nothing was going to stand in its way.
Now, some of us have been genuinely disturbed by the obsessional nature of the Government's efforts to secure World Cup 2006. In Downing Street circles it ranks with the Dome as a litmus test of loyalty; express a niggling doubt, and you are not only unpatriotic but downright subversive.
Personally, I believe that while England has a perfect right to bid for the tournament, an African World Cup is long overdue and South Africa's case is therefore a good deal more deserving. In the current climate, that expression of opinion could condemn me to the Tower. Which helps explain why last week's happenings in Istanbul were so singularly damaging as well as distressing.
As yet, we do not know the full facts and therefore cannot discuss affairs in any confident detail. That, of course, did not stop the deeply ridiculous David Mellor scurrying from studio to broadcasting studio; prattling populist cliches and peddling cut-price nostrums.
I had promised myself that this column would never more mention the failed politician with pretensions to punditry, but you must remember that this Government made him chairman of its fatuous Football Task Force. As such, he is a symptom of the malaise which is paralysing decent progress.
Along with the most poignant objects of pity - the victims of those murderous assaults and the poor families who mourn their loss - I felt desperately sorry for Leeds United last week.
They agreed to play the game and, since the alternative was to leave a thousand fans roaming the streets of Istanbul with all the attendant dangers, I am sure that they were right to do so. Certainly, their agreement implied no disrespect for the dead, nor any readiness to place financial reward above duty.
Similarly, they were right to ban Galatasaray supporters from the return leg. Given the tone and the outcome of events in Turkey, their presence at Elland Road would have been unthinkable.
The Galatasaray club, it appears, have urged that the match be played at a neutral venue. We must assume that UEFA will treat that impertinence with the contempt it deserves.
Some people have argued, passionately and honourably, that Leeds should simply have walked away from the competition. I believe that their conduct has been impeccable.
Yet others have been less impressive. In particular, the spokespersons of the Football Supporters' Association, although undeniably well-meaning, have proved depressingly predictable. No blame ever attaches to our brave lads; everybody's got it in for us because we're English. The real culprits are fascist police or perfidious media or those unprincipled foreigners who pour booze down our unwilling throats.
So attitudes are struck, xenophobia reigns and Official England closes its eyes and crosses its fingers. Sure, the problems may be ugly and almost intractable, but what the hell; there's a World Cup bid to be won.
Well, midsummer is looming, and I fear the worst. I fear the sounds of breaking glass, running feet, bovine chants and blaring sirens. I fear the homicidal involvement of Germans and Turks. I fear chest-thumping triumphalism and cynical attempts at damage limitation.
Ask me for solutions, and I have none; save for a vague belief that anybody who has ever had even the vaguest links with football-related violence should be required to surrender his passport during the term of the European Championship.
You may argue that no liberal Home Secretary would agree to such an edict. Well, the holder of that noble office is Jack Straw. I rest my case. The truth is that there are no obvious solutions, no quick fixes, no foolproof methods of coping with what may well become a crisis. All I argue is that it deserves serious thought and firm decision at the highest level.
For while none of us knows all the answers, we must hope and pray that somebody up there is about to start asking the questions.
