Over 250 people injured in riots following soccer match in Jordan

2010-12-11 06:44:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

AMMAN, JORDAN (BNO NEWS) -- More than 250 people were injured on Friday after riots erupted following a soccer match between rival clubs Al-Wehdat and Al-Faisali in Jordan, Ammon News reported.

After the match ended, with a 1-0 victory for Al-Wehdat, fans were heading towards the exits when a group of people outside the stadium began hurling stones at those who where inside the King Abdullah Stadium in Quweismeh, southern Amman.

Fans inside the stadium panicked, resulting in a chaotic stampede as people attempted to flee the stadium which caused a metal fence to collapse. The iron railing separates the fans from the playing field.

There were no fatalities in the stampede, but more than 250 people sustained injuries. Among the injured were 30 police officers, Ammon News reported.

At the moment of the fence collapse, police officers were trying to control the unrest in the stands. Outside the stadium, riots continued in the adjacent streets and cars parked nearby were vandalized.

The unrest continued from Quweismeh district to Al-Ashrafiyeh, where Al-Bashir Hospital admitted over 100 injured people. The other wounded that needed treatment were transported to Al-Totunji Hospital and Al-Hussein Medical City.

Eyewitnesses said that before the fence collapsed, fans threw stones and bottles to the field which led police officers to go into the stands and beat some of them in order to contain the situation.

The two clubs have a long rivalry. Al-Feisali players are mainly Jordanian, while Al-Wehdat players are mostly Jordanians of Palestinian origin and seen as representative of the over 1.8 million Palestinian refugees living in Jordan.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-12-11

Religion, supporting football teams etc etc - the weak-minded will always find someone to gather around and fight about...