No public screenings of Morocco World Cup match in large Dutch cities after riots

None of the four large Dutch cities will place screens on squares to show Morocco’s match in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday. Amsterdam and The Hague blamed riots after previous Morocco victories for the decision. Utrecht and Rotterdam had already decided against public screenings, NU.nl reports.

The Moroccan national team will play against France on Wednesday. Morocco is the first African country ever to make it to the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup.

Amsterdam cited public safety for not allowing public screenings of the match. “Ordinary fans would also become vulnerable to fireworks and misconduct,” a spokesperson for mayor Femke Halsema told NU.nl. The capital is discussing extra security measures for the match. The Amsterdam police will likely be allowed to stop and frisk people in some areas.

The Hague worries that public screenings would invite new riots. “Troublemakers use the crowd of football fans as a cover,” a spokesperson for the municipality of The Hague told NU.nl. “We can no longer separate the good and bad people in crowded squares.” The city will have police “extra visibly present” on the streets in areas where problems previously arose.

Utrecht and Rotterdam told NU.nl that they had already decided not to allow public screenings of the World Cup match, and it was not because of the disturbances after previous games. The Utrecht authorities will discuss possible additional measures.

The Rotterdam police will not use heavier measures. “The evenings were relatively quiet here. Most of the celebrators behaved nicely. Our approach with the neighborhood fathers and youth workers works well, so we see no reason to adjust this approach,” a spokesperson said to the newspaper.