Riots In Brussels; Cars, Electric Scooters Set Ablaze After Morocco Beat Belgium 2-0 At The World Cup

Riots broke out in Brussels, Belgium after Morocco beat Belgium 2-0 at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Sunday, Nov. 27.

Morocco scored a 2-0 win against Belgium at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Sunday, Nov. 27. Morocco's Abdelhamid Sabiri scored a free kick in the second half and Zakaria Aboukhlal scored the second goal in stoppage time to secure the victory for Morocco. The victory against Belgium was Morocco’s first win at a World Cup since 1998 and it's third ever, CNN reported.

After the victory, riots broke out in Brussels and police detained dozens of people. The victory was enthusiastically celebrated by fans with Moroccan immigrant roots in many Belgian and Dutch cities.

Dozens of soccer fans, some draped in Moroccan flags, clashed with riot police. They set a car on fire as well as electric scooters and pelted cars with bricks. Police moved in after one person suffered facial injuries, and deployed water cannons and fire tear gas to disperse crowds, the New York Times reported.

Two police officials were injured in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam in the riots. Subway and tram traffic was also interrupted on police orders.

Brussels mayor Philippe Close urged people to stay away from the city center and said that authorities were doing their best effort to keep order in the streets.

“Those are not fans, they are rioters. Moroccan fans are there to celebrate,” Close said.

In addition to riots in Brussels, there were also disturbances in the city of Antwerp and Liege.

“Sad to see how a few individuals abuse a situation to run amok,” said Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden.

Meanwhile, police in the Netherlands said violence erupted in the port city of Rotterdam as well. In Rotterdam, riot officers attempted to break up a group of 500 soccer supporters who pelted police with fireworks and glass.

Close stated that the 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 for the destroyed infrastructure,” Close said.