Riots in Brussels After Belgium's Loss to Morocco in Football World Cup Match

Brussels: Belgian police detained a dozen people and made one arrest on Sunday after Morocco's victory over Belgium in the World Cup match in Qatar triggered riots in Brussels with a car and some electric scooters set on fire.

The riots took place in several places across the Belgian capital where dozens of soccer fans, some draped in Moroccan flags, clashed with riot police with water cannons and tear gas.

"Around 7 p.m. calm returned and preventive patrols remain in place in the sectors concerned," police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere said.

Clashes in Brussels after the World Cup football match between Belgium and Morocco - Brussels, Belgium - November 27, 2022 A group of people that the police are trying to disperse can be seen in the smoke during clashes after the World Cup match between Belgium and Morocco Reuters/Yves Herman

"The rioters used pyrotechnic material, projectiles, sticks, and set fire on the public highway," the police said. "Also, a journalist was injured in the face by fireworks. It is for these reasons that it was decided to proceed with a police intervention, with the deployment of water cannon and the use of tear gas," the police said.

(Reuters)

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