Unrest after Morocco World Cup win: Riot police sent to Amsterdam, Rotterdam & The Hague

Riot police were sent out on the streets of Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam on Sunday evening after Morocco defeated Belgium in their World Cup group stage match on Sunday. Hundreds of people were out on the streets of different neighborhoods in those cities waving the flag of Morocco, and the jubilant celebrations became tense, police said.

Morocco, under men’s national football trainer Walid Regragui, delivered a crucial 2-0 victory over Belgium thanks to goals in the second half from Abdelhamid Sabiri and former AZ player Zakaria Aboukhlal. Morocco, which only once reached the knockout stage at a World Cup in 1986, currently has 4 points in Group F, tied on points with Croatia, and one point ahead of Belgium.

It grew restless in Amsterdam on Sunday evening after Morocco's shock victory, with many disturbances reported from the Mercatorplein in Amsterdam-West, according to the police. A spokesperson said there were about 500 people there. Fires broke out, and people were setting off fireworks. The riot police staged there and was ready to intervene, if necessary, according to the police.

At first, the festivities went smoothly. "There was a party and that has now become a nuisance," said the spokesperson.

In Rotterdam, the riot police were busy charging the crowd in an attempt to get them to disperse. That started at about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Football supporters there were throwing fireworks and glass at the police. There was a group of about 500 supporters in total.

The riot police also intervened in The Hague after the match. "The atmosphere has become a bit grim," said a spokesperson there. Heavy fireworks were set off, and supporters opened the car doors of innocent people trying to navigate through the area.

She could not say how many people in The Hague were causing unrest. "It is a large group. The police are trying to ensure that everyone leaves."

A large group of people took to the streets in the Schilderswijk initially celebrated with fireworks, cheering, and honking cars and scooters.

In Utrecht and Amersfoort, parties were mainly celebratory, according to a police spokesperson. In the Lombok district of Utrecht, the atmosphere was festive; there were only a few small street fires here and there. In Amersfoort, a scooter was set on fire and there were fireworks set off, but few problems otherwise.