At least one dead in Russian soccer riot
Soccer fans celebrate in front of a burning car in Moscow on Sunday, after Japan defeated Russia 1-0 at the World Cup. Photo: Maxim Marmur/AP
Associated Press
Moscow — Russian soccer fans
rampaged near the Kremlin and one man was killed after Russia lost to Japan in the World Cup on Sunday.
Rioters set fire to cars, smashed store windows and attacked a group of young Japanese musicians.
An Associated Press photographer saw a mutilated corpse lying on the street during the chaos, which erupted across a square from the Kremlin walls and lasted for more than an hour.
At least seven cars could be seen burning and more than a dozen were completely overturned. Dozens of others, including expensive foreign cars, had their windows smashed. Officials said 27 people were hospitalized.
Thousands of fans ran through the streets chanting "Forward, Russia!" and other soccer slogans. They broke shop windows, jumped up and down on cars and fought among themselves, throwing empty beer bottles at each other. Some of them were wrapped in the Russian tricolour.
Plumes of smokes rose from several cars near the national parliament building, and from the square in front of the Bolshoi Theater. The windows of shops up to a mile away — including a Tiffany's jewellery store, a Sbarro pizzeria, an Ecco shoe store and the historic Yeliseyevsky grocery store — were smashed.
Cars had their windows broken, as well, along the road leading to the headquarters of the Russian security services, the former KGB, as well as in front of the offices of the Russian Presidential Administration.
The Interfax news agency said one man was knifed to death and more than 20 people, including one policeman, were injured in the riots.
A duty officer at the Interior Ministry who gave only his last name, Trofimov, confirmed that one person was killed and 20 injured. Earlier, another duty officer, who gave his name as Rusakov, said 27 people had been hospitalized.
Moscow police chief Vladimir Pronin said there were 8,000 fans involved, according to Interfax. The agency quoted Moscow police spokesman Sergei Shevtsov as saying that about 60 people were detained.
More than an hour after most of the violence ended, an Associated Press reporter saw the body lying outside a nearby hospital. The body was apparently brought there by police.
Five music students from Japan who were attending a Tchaikovsky musical competition nearby were attacked by soccer hooligans, a duty officer at the Japanese embassy in Moscow said.
One of the students was injured, but his wounds were not considered serious.
The fans, mostly teenaged boys and young men, watched the match on a big screen set up on Manezh Square next to the Kremlin. Japan defeated Russia 1-0.
The riots erupted after Japan scored its goal, but before the match ended. Few police officers were nearby at the time more did not arrive until almost an hour later, when most of the aggressive fans had left the area.
Firefighters arrived first, and the rioters attacked their trucks. Photographers and cameramen also were beaten. Interfax reported an ambulance was set on fire and a doctor attacked.
Once police arrived, some fans tried to help detain the instigators of the riots by overpowering the hooligans and leading them to the police.
Aggressive Russian soccer fans, who often sport shaved heads, have in the past gone on rampages in Moscow, but never to such an extent.
Sergei Tsoi, spokesman for Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, said that after Sunday's violence the city would stop showing the matches on big outdoor screens, according to Interfax. It earlier planned to show all of Russia's World Cup matches.
A top government official said those responsible for the violence would be brought to justice.
The riot was "an insult to the millions of people who supported the Russian team," deputy chief of the Cabinet's staff Alexei Volin told Interfax.
Some politicians criticized the authorities for organizing the public showings of the matches and failing to prepare for possible violence.
"Everywhere in the world where fans go on rampages, the police thoroughly prepare for it," liberal lawmaker Sergei Mitrokhin said on TVS television. "But here the organizers of this event were just irresponsible."
Soccer fans celebrate in front of a burning car in Moscow on Sunday, after Japan defeated Russia 1-0 at the World Cup. Photo: Maxim Marmur/AP
Associated Press
Moscow — Russian soccer fans
rampaged near the Kremlin and one man was killed after Russia lost to Japan in the World Cup on Sunday.
Rioters set fire to cars, smashed store windows and attacked a group of young Japanese musicians.
An Associated Press photographer saw a mutilated corpse lying on the street during the chaos, which erupted across a square from the Kremlin walls and lasted for more than an hour.
At least seven cars could be seen burning and more than a dozen were completely overturned. Dozens of others, including expensive foreign cars, had their windows smashed. Officials said 27 people were hospitalized.
Thousands of fans ran through the streets chanting "Forward, Russia!" and other soccer slogans. They broke shop windows, jumped up and down on cars and fought among themselves, throwing empty beer bottles at each other. Some of them were wrapped in the Russian tricolour.
Plumes of smokes rose from several cars near the national parliament building, and from the square in front of the Bolshoi Theater. The windows of shops up to a mile away — including a Tiffany's jewellery store, a Sbarro pizzeria, an Ecco shoe store and the historic Yeliseyevsky grocery store — were smashed.
Cars had their windows broken, as well, along the road leading to the headquarters of the Russian security services, the former KGB, as well as in front of the offices of the Russian Presidential Administration.
The Interfax news agency said one man was knifed to death and more than 20 people, including one policeman, were injured in the riots.
A duty officer at the Interior Ministry who gave only his last name, Trofimov, confirmed that one person was killed and 20 injured. Earlier, another duty officer, who gave his name as Rusakov, said 27 people had been hospitalized.
Moscow police chief Vladimir Pronin said there were 8,000 fans involved, according to Interfax. The agency quoted Moscow police spokesman Sergei Shevtsov as saying that about 60 people were detained.
More than an hour after most of the violence ended, an Associated Press reporter saw the body lying outside a nearby hospital. The body was apparently brought there by police.
Five music students from Japan who were attending a Tchaikovsky musical competition nearby were attacked by soccer hooligans, a duty officer at the Japanese embassy in Moscow said.
One of the students was injured, but his wounds were not considered serious.
The fans, mostly teenaged boys and young men, watched the match on a big screen set up on Manezh Square next to the Kremlin. Japan defeated Russia 1-0.
The riots erupted after Japan scored its goal, but before the match ended. Few police officers were nearby at the time more did not arrive until almost an hour later, when most of the aggressive fans had left the area.
Firefighters arrived first, and the rioters attacked their trucks. Photographers and cameramen also were beaten. Interfax reported an ambulance was set on fire and a doctor attacked.
Once police arrived, some fans tried to help detain the instigators of the riots by overpowering the hooligans and leading them to the police.
Aggressive Russian soccer fans, who often sport shaved heads, have in the past gone on rampages in Moscow, but never to such an extent.
Sergei Tsoi, spokesman for Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, said that after Sunday's violence the city would stop showing the matches on big outdoor screens, according to Interfax. It earlier planned to show all of Russia's World Cup matches.
A top government official said those responsible for the violence would be brought to justice.
The riot was "an insult to the millions of people who supported the Russian team," deputy chief of the Cabinet's staff Alexei Volin told Interfax.
Some politicians criticized the authorities for organizing the public showings of the matches and failing to prepare for possible violence.
"Everywhere in the world where fans go on rampages, the police thoroughly prepare for it," liberal lawmaker Sergei Mitrokhin said on TVS television. "But here the organizers of this event were just irresponsible."
