Belgian police detained dozens of people on Sunday after Morocco’s 2-0 World Cup win over Belgium at the World Cup triggered riots in Brussels.
In a statement to CNN, Brussels police said: “At around 3:22 pm, dozens of masked persons sought a confrontation with the security services, jeopardizing public safety.”
According to Reuters, several riots took place across the Belgian capital where dozens of soccer fans, some draped in Moroccan flags, clashed with riot police, setting a car on fire as well as electric scooters.
“It was immediately decided to proceed to a police intervention, with the use of a water cannon and tear gas,” the Brussels police said.
“Calm returned around 7 p.m. and preventive patrols are still present in the sectors concerned,” the statement concluded.
The office of Brussels mayor Philippe Close told CNN that parents of the young rioters will be held liable for damaged infrastructure in the Belgian capital.
“The situation is back to normal now. We hold the parents of the young rioters accountable for what happened, they will get the bill of the destroyed infrastructure,” Close said via a statement sent from his press office.
The victory against Belgium was Morocco’s first win at a World Cup since 1998 – and just its third ever.
Abdelhamid Sabiri scored with a free kick in the second half before Zakaria Aboukhlal sealed the famous win with Morocco’s second goal in stoppage time.
