Munich, June 10 :

An army of police and stadium guards met tens of thousands of partying fans at the World Cup’s opening games on Friday — and aside from scattered arrests, the biggest problem was long lines caused by tight security.

More than 2,800 police from Munich and the surrounding Bavaria region watched downtown areas, where helicopters buzzed above fans wearing jerseys from around the world. Officers on horseback patrolled outside the stadium, while others mingled in beer halls.

Munich police reported making 67 arrests, mostly for minor crimes such as pick pocketing. The most serious incident involved an attack by two Germans on a man waving a Danish flag. The man suffered a broken rib.

Hours before the game Munich police said they removed a World Cup banner with swastikas from a highway bridge and in Berlin police said they raided the headquarters of a far-right political party, confiscating about 3,000 World Cup guides with racist overtones.

At Munich’s stadium, all was quiet amid a heavy security presence. Just like Munich, the city hosting Friday’s other game between Poland and Ecuador also was calm.