Fans claim they were beaten

Two men branded hooligans by Portuguese police but cleared by the authorities today told how "disgraceful" officers had treated them like animals.

The pair arrived on an Air Portugal jet in the company of 20 plain-clothed Portuguese police officers along with eight other men deported after the same court hearing.

Garry Mann, identified as a ringleader of the rioting and sentenced to two years in jail, is still in the country awaiting deportation.

Mr Boyle and Mr Donahue were refused their belongings and were today still dressed in the same clothes they were arrested in as they made their way out of the airport.

Both were deported and banned from Portugal for five years despite having been cleared of any wrongdoing in court. After an hour of questioning by the British police they have been told they also face no action at home.

The pair, from Manchester, said they had been celebrating Mr Donahue's 32nd birthday and had nothing to do with the 200-man riot a few blocks away in the early hours of Tuesday.

They were returning to their self- catering f lat in the Algarve resort of Albufeira when they were allegedly set upon by police officers.

Mr Donahue, who suffered two broken ribs, a black eye and cuts to his arm, said: "As we turned down an alleyway, to get back to our apartment, some people came running behind us, knocked us to the floor and started hitting us with batons and kicking us in the face.

"We did not really know it was the police at first. It was only when they handcuffed us and took us into the police vans that I realised. Once we had been arrested on the first night we were not allowed to sleep. Everybody had been awake for more than 30 hours and every time somebody started to nod off they were being hit with batons and slapped in the chest and told they could not go to sleep.

"We went two days solid without any sleep. I've not been treated fairly. I just want to get home now."

Mr Boyle, 22, said: "They did not say anything to us about what we had been charged with or were supposed to have done and we did not find that out until we went to court.

"We were just getting classed as English thugs. Some of the police said to us in front of everybody: 'Maybe you have not done anything but you are paying for your English friends.'

"We were sat on a chair in a room on Monday, Monday night and Tuesday until about 10pm and then put in the detention centre." The pair landed at Heathrow as the rest of the country was celebrating England's 3-0 win over Switzerland and the news that, after France drew 2-2 with Croatia, a draw in the last group game will see Sven Goran Eriksson's team into the quarter finals.

The returning group was met by 30 British police officers and eight of them were interviewed for more than three hours before being released on police bail. Those eight are today expected to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates Court where they are likely to receive football banning orders.

Seven have received suspended jail sentences of between seven and nine months from the Portuguese court for the rioting.

But many also accused the police of being heavy handed. University graduate John Jackson, who was given a suspended seven month sentence, said the treatment handed out had been a "disgrace".

"I was made to sit on a wall for two hours with my hands handcuffed where I was abused, spat on and had a dog just inches from my face," said the 22-year-old from Newcastle.

"Then some more officers came and said I was going to be made an example of."