South Korea has refused entry to an England soccer fan in the first case of a supporter being sent home because his name was on a World Cup "black list" of people linked to hooliganism.

An Immigration Bureau official said on Monday that Andrew Cooper, 37, was deported from South Korea's main Inchon International Airport upon arrival from Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday.

"Yes, he was sent back immediately on the same aeroplane," said the official.

The man's name was among a number of English supporters barred from entering South Korea.

"He had been advised by his local police station (in Britain) that he would be refused entry if he travels to Korea or Japan," British embassy World Cup attache Chris Gotch told Reuters. "He did, and he was."

There are up to 3,000 mostly English and German nationals on the South Korean "black list", which the country has compiled with help from other governments, the official said.

It was not immediately clear whether Cooper had been involved in any soccer-related violence.

English football officials have worked hard to allay fears in World Cup co-hosts Japan and South Korea that England fans may cause trouble. English supporters caused widespread damage during rioting in Marseille during the 1998 World Cup.

England play a World Cup warm-up match against South Korea on the South Korean island of Cheju on Tuesday before heading to Japan for their group F matches against Sweden, Argentina and Nigeria.

The world's biggest soccer tournament kicks off in Seoul on May 31. The final will be in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on June 30.