2 killed, 54 others injured after rival fans clash in a football match in Morocco
Two spectators were killed and 54 others injured in Casablanca, Morocco on Saturday as riots erupted in the stands when rival fans of its Raja de Casablanca football club brawled after a home game.
The running battles, in which fans threw flares and ripped up parts of the Mohammed V stadium, came despite a 2-1 victory for the home team over Chabab Rif Al Hoceima of Al Hoceima in northern Morocco.
AAP reported that 30 rioters have been arrested in connection with the clashes, which also saw cars damaged outside the stadium. Ten people had been arrested prior to the game for the same reason, the country’s DGSN security service said in a statement.
Footage on Moroccan media showed the fans — dressed in the club’s green colours — charging at each other. It was unclear how the clashes had erupted. Here is the footage as captured by Le360.ma. Warning, scenes might be distressing:
Prosecutors have opened an inquiry into the fan trouble.
Raja have been penalised by the Moroccan football federation’s disciplinary commission by forcing them to play their next five matches in the tournament behind closed doors.
They were also fined 100,000 dirhams (9,000 euros) and could face compensation claims following the damage to the stadium.
A year ago a man died in the central city of Khouribga during clashes between supporters of the local club and of Raja de Casablanca. In 2013 more than 200 people were arrested after clashes broke out in Casablanca between fans of Raja and FAR Rabat.
Raja are 11-time champions of Morocco, with their most recent title coming in the 2012-13 campaign. They finished as runners-up in the 2013 Club World Cup after a surprise run to the final, eventually losing to Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich.
