Rabat erupts in joy, Brussels in ire as Morocco upstage Belgium
POLICE had to use water cannon to subdue fans in Brussels on Sunday after the mood turned sour following the Belgium’s 2-0 loss to Morocco in the football World Cup in Qatar.
About 100 officers had to respond after the crowd began destroying public property and throwing objects at the officers, according to the Belga news agency.
The police took to Twitter to urge people to leave Boulevard du Midi and adjoining streets in the city’s centre. “The police have already responded forcefully. I therefore advise all fans against coming to the city centre,”
tweeted Brussels Mayor Philippe Close.
He issued an order to arrest
troublemakers. Police also requested a partial shutdown of public transport in the city
centre, transport authorities tweeted.
The Belgian mood was in
sharp contrast to that of Morocco, where people spilled into the streets of Rabat for spontaneous celebrations, according to a dpa reporter on the scene. There was dancing, singing and waving of Moroccan flags, while drivers honked their horns as they drove through the streets.
“The Moroccan side had an historic triumph against Belgium,” ran a story on the Ana Al Khabar news website.
Broadcaster 2M praised Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal, whose goals secured the victory.
Both teams still have a chance of advancing to the last 16 depending on how their final group stage match, with Belgium set to play Croatia and Morocco set to play Canada, on Thursday turns out.