GELSENKIRCHEN, June 7 - A German court is deciding whether to allow a far-right group to march through World Cup host city Gelsenkirchen, despite the pleas of police and locals that such a march would hugely damage Germany's image.

Residents of the economically-depressed western German city pledged on Wednesday they would not allow the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) to overshadow the host city's World Cup celebrations or the warm welcome it hoped to give visitors.

"It would be an outrage if a few idiots come and spoil all the good that has been going on here," said 31-year-old Kay Dirr, one of Gelsenkirchen's high number of unemployed.

"A march would harm Germany's reputation abroad and with the visitors here who see it."

The far-right NPD, which the German government tried unsuccessfully to ban five years ago, plans to march through Gelsenkirchen on Saturday, a day after Ecuador meet Poland in the city's impressive new stadium.

"Our demonstration has nothing to do with the World Cup and does not target visiting soccer fans," said local NPD leader Klaus Kraemer.

"We chose Gelsenkirchen because it has the highest unemployment rate in Germany and one of the highest concentrations of immigrants," he added.

An initial police ban on the march was overturned by a local court, which ruled the fact it may harm Germany's image was not sufficient grounds to prevent it going ahead. The police have appealed the court's decision.

FAR-RIGHT TROUBLE

Police across Germany have said they are on the alert for far-right violence following a series of attacks on dark-skinned immigrants in the depressed ex-communist eastern part of the country.

Gelsenkirchen is in the former western part of Germany but suffers from similarly high unemployment and social tensions.

Local police chief Ruediger von Schoenfeldt said in a statement: "Gelsenkirchen police will do everything to ensure foreign visitors feel comfortable. We will not tolerate xenophobia." City authorities are planning a demonstration against the far-right on the same day as the march, and urge the city's inhabitants to place "No Nazis" stickers in their windows.

"I hope people will protest against the far-right and that that will be the bigger demonstration," said 20-year-old welder Khalid Touil, a German-Moroccan.

"A march would damage Germany's image and would be terrible. But it is also right that people see that there is still a far-right problem here and skinhead violence," he added.