Following their humiliating World Cup loss to Morocco on Sunday, Belgium fans have instigated riots across the nation.
At the Al Thumama Stadium, the African team triumphed admirably thanks to goals from Zakaria Aboukhlal and Abdelhamid Sabiri. However, the outcome has not been well received in Belgium, as evidenced by the fans’ rampage through Brussels, which resulted in the flipping of a car.
According to various reports, police used tear gas and water cans to try to control the crowds as the situation got worse. A red car was shown being flipped after its windows were smashed in a video of supporters setting fires in the middle of the road in the Belgian capital.
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More videos depict supporters hurling bricks and fireworks into the air as Moroccan supporters in the nation continued to celebrate. Philippe Close, the mayor of Brussels, strongly denounced the violence in a statement.
He said: “I strongly condemn the incidents that occurred this afternoon. The police have already acted harshly.
“So I advise supporters not to come to the centre. The police are doing everything they can to maintain public order.”
With an estimated quarter of a million people in Qatar of Moroccan heritage, tensions amongst supporters had reportedly been rising before the gathering there. Before the game began, fireworks were thrown near the Brussels-South train station, and as the game progressed, the violence became worse.
It appears that 100 riot police were dispatched to try and calm the chaos. It’s unclear how many people were hurt in the incidents, and whether any supporters were detained.
“Police moved in after one person suffered facial injuries,” Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said.
