Morocco's qualification for the World Cup : Celebrations turned violent in Brussels

Celebrations in Brussels, Belgium to mark the qualification of Morocco national football team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia turned violent. Fans clashed with policemen in the city center the police told the Belga press agency, reports AFP.

Riot police fired water cannons to control a crowd of about 300 people. Several cars were burned and stores were looted, according to the Belgian police, who announced that 22 policemen were injured.

Agression inacceptable ds centre BXL. Le vivre-ensemble implique le respect, aussi pr policiers qui s’engagent pr notre sécurité nuit & jour

— Jan Jambon (@JanJambon) November 12, 2017

«The fundamental problem is that such events are used as an excuse for reckless behavior and doing unacceptable things,» Interior Minister Jan Jambon told Belgium’s Radio 1, commenting on the violent events.

«We have camera images - whoever did this will pay for this, there is no way around it,» Jambon added, as reported by Reuters news agency.

Voici une première vidéo de la place de la Bourse à Bruxelles qui montre les voitures blindées anti-émeute arrosant avec canons à eau les badauds qui une minute avant célébraient la victoire du Maroc. pic.twitter.com/YWQu6q1dpZ

— Anckarström (@ibnkafka) November 11, 2017

Videos circulating on social media showed policemen preventing Moroccan fans from accessing certain streets, while others were celebrating the qualification next to the Brussels Stock Exchange building, a traditional venue for sports celebrations.