Moroccan fans took over the center of Brussels and threw flares at the police in celebration of qualifying for the next round of the World Cup
The Belgian Police made 18 administrative arrests this Thursday in riots registered in the center of Brussels , where hundreds of people had taken to the streets to celebrate the pass of the Moroccan team to the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar.
“In total, 18 administrative arrests were made due to riots, most of them in the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police area,” said police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere, according to the newspaper “Le Soir”.
The Moroccan team defeated Canada (1-2) on Thursday and reached the round of 16 of a World Cup for the second time in its history, a phase in which Spain will be measured.
“Le Soir” points out that during the celebrations, which were mainly concentrated on Boulevard Lemonnier and the central Plaza de la Bolsa, there were “slight incidents”.
This medium explained that the police officers left en masse from the Plaza de la Bolsa to the end of that boulevard, near the South Station of Brussels.
The main roads nearby had to be closed to vehicle traffic around 7:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT) due to the influx of people.
After the match, many Moroccan fans took to the streets with flags and fireworks to celebrate the victory and qualification for the round of 16.
During the celebrations, some attendees directed flares at the police officers present , who for a moment resorted to the use of tear gas.
In other parts of the Belgian capital, many Moroccan sympathizers also gathered and in places like the Schaerbeek district, the police had to intervene because of a group of about 50 people who were harassing passers-by.
Last Sunday, hundreds of people already caused riots in the center of Brussels and in some Belgian and Dutch cities after the World Cup match between Belgium and Morocco, and vehicles and street furniture were destroyed, forcing the intervention of police.