Nineteen arrested after Morocco World Cup loss

The police arrested 19 people after Morocco’s defeat in the semi-finals of the World Cup on Wednesday evening. There was little unrest in the Dutch cities compared to the Moroccan national team’s previous matches, but riot police still had to intervene in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, NU.nl reports.

The Rotterdam police arrested 14 people, mainly young people. They gathered on West-Kruiskade and threw stones at the police. Rioters also assaulted a bystander, leaving them with a broken nose. The riot police dispersed the young people at the end of the evening.

The Amsterdam police arrested three minors. The atmosphere in the capital started friendly after the loss, but that changed when a group of about 100 people turned on the police in the Osdorp district. They threw heavy fireworks, and the riot police intervened.

The other two suspects were arrested in The Hague for setting off heavy fireworks. Other than that, there were no major incidents in the city.

The same is true for Utrecht. About a hundred people gathered near Lombok and set off some fireworks. There were no incidents, and, as far as is known, the police did not arrest anyone.