ENGLAND should consider withdrawing from Euro 2000 if their fans continue to cause trouble in Belgium.

That is the view of the Conservative MP for Ryedale, John Greenway, who has condemned the deplorable action of the England supporters.

He said: "If the trouble continues and there is serious violence then I think the England team should consider whether to withdraw rather than suffer the ignominy of being thrown out."

However, Greenway predicted problems from the outset and says the government and UEFA have to take some of the blame.

"The Government should have done more. We offered to help them with legislation to stop known trouble makers travelling, but they didn't take it up," said Greenway, the Shadow Minister for Sport.

"The second thing is UEFA are not blameless. I wrote to the President of UEFA a month ago saying that Charleroi was not the right venue for the game.

"But they have gone on insisting that the programme of matches has to be adhered to despite the fact that, with thousands of fans without tickets drinking all day there would be only one outcome."

Greenway would like to see a change in the way tickets are distributed, preferably through Travel Clubs, as he claims most of the trouble causers did not have tickets.

He said: "I'm not aware of any trouble in the grounds. It's these people who have gone over there without tickets. We have tolerated for too long that young people can go and stand around drinking beer and causing mayhem to anyone standing by."

Ray Wynn, secretary and treasurer of the York City Supporters Club, claims it would be wrong to make the team pay for the actions of the fans.

He said: "Nobody can really blame Kevin Keegan and the players, with the exception of one incident where David Beckham stuck one finger up. I think if they are expelled it would be wrong."