BRUSSELS: Mass riots broke out in Brussels after their national team faced a rout at the hands of the Moroccan football team at the World Cup in Qatar.
Belgium, ranked as the second-best team in the world, lost to Morocco 0: 2.
According to Belgian media, widespread protests and riots broke out in several cities including in Brussels, where rioters used pyrotechnics and threw stones at cars.
Interestingly, the victory of the African team was also widely celebrated by immigrants from Morocco in many cities in Belgium.
Dzens of people participated in the Brussels riots as police cordoned off some areas of the capital’s centre. The protests and riots also hampered mass transit metro and tram services. The police responded with water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
At least one person reported suffered facial injuries.
Brussels Mayor Philippe Cloz urged football fans to stay away from the city centre and said authorities were doing everything they could to keep the streets in order.
