160 Moroccans arrested after rioting at a football match

Police arrested 160 people suspected of involvement in riots that followed a football match in Rabat, which left security forces and fans injured, the General Directorate of National Security said in a statement.

The riots broke out when the fans of the Royal Army Club of the capital stormed the floor of the Prince Moulay Abdallah stadium after the end of a match in the round of 16 of the Throne Cup competitions, which ended with the defeat of its team (0-2) against Maghreb Fez, and entered "confrontations" with the supporters of the visiting team, according to the media. Local media.

Videos on Facebook showed fans throwing security forces from the stands, before attacking them and storming the pitch.

The police said that "the security operations they initiated (...) resulted in the arrest of 160 people, including 90 minors."

The detainees are suspected of involvement in “rioting related to sports, possession of knives, open drunkenness, throwing stones (...) and deliberately setting fire to a vehicle.”

As a result of these acts of violence, according to AFP, 103 members of the security forces and 57 fans were injured of varying severity, and they were taken to hospitals or treated at the scene, according to the same source.

Also, many of the stadium facilities were damaged, and a motorcycle was “set on fire, and 33 police vehicles were damaged and smashed” or private property.

The police statement on Sunday night indicated that the review of all surveillance cameras was continuing, to identify "everyone who was proven to be involved in the violence and riots that followed this match."

These events are the first of their kind since fans returned at the end of February to the football stadiums, which had been closed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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