Brussels: Riots after Morocco's World Cup victory over Belgium

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Morocco fans in Brussels

Photo: IMAGO/NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / IMAGO/Belga

After Belgium lost 2-0 to Morocco at the World Cup in Qatar, riots broke out in the Belgian capital, Brussels.

According to police, football fans rioted in the city center and attacked police officers, who then used water cannon and tear gas.

Fans smashed shop windows and threw firecrackers at cars or set them on fire.

Even before the final whistle of the game, "dozens of people" were looking for a dispute with the police and endangering public safety, the Brussels police said.

A spokeswoman said some fans were armed with sticks and a journalist was "injured in the face by fireworks".

Around a hundred police officers were mobilized and residents were asked to avoid certain areas of the city.

Metro stations were closed and roads blocked to prevent the riots from spreading.

Incidents also occurred in the Netherlands

The Mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close, condemned "the incidents of this afternoon in the strongest possible terms".

The police have already taken decisive action, and he advises fans not to come to the city center, Close said on Twitter.

He instructed the police to arrest the troublemakers.

There was also unrest in the Netherlands – including in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and The Hague, as the Dutch news agency ANP reported.

The police estimated the group of troublemakers in Rotterdam at 500 people.

Firecrackers and glass were thrown at the police.

czl/dpa/AFP