After Morocco’s semi-final defeat at the World Cup, there have been clashes between Morocco fans and the police in Brussels. Some fireworks were set off in the direction of the police, who then used water cannon and pepper spray, the Belgian news agency said Belgium reported late Wednesday evening. People are currently being arrested.
Moroccan fans light a fire in a street after the Moroccan soccer team lost the semi-final match of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022 against France
(Photo: Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP)
Belgian riot police clash with demonstrators
(Photo: Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP)
In some French cities, fan celebrations got out of hand after the national team reached the final of the World Cup. Although the vast majority peacefully celebrated the 2-0 win against Morocco in the semifinals, rioters and police officers briefly clashed on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, as reported by the media. In Montpellier, fans from both sides firecrackers fired at each other.
In the meantime, there was also talk of a tense situation in Lyon. Like the newspaper Nice-Matin reported, there were also conflicts between fans and the police in Nice and Cannes. For the most part, however, the situation calmed down again, and there was no talk of arrests or major property damage.
In Berlin, on the other hand, the mood remained calm overall, most people went home quickly after the game, said a police spokesman. They had been prepared for a larger effort – especially in the event of a victory for the Moroccan team. In the Berlin-Neukölln district, fans set off a short fireworks display.
A dpa reporter on site reported that the fans were proud of the team’s performance, which surprisingly made it to the semi-finals at the World Cup in Qatar. However, Wednesday’s defeat by France (0-2) ended the dreams of the Moroccans, who had become the first African team to reach the top four at a World Cup. The defending champions France play Argentina in the final on Sunday.