Football Hoolaganism
 

Police have arrested 81 people after angry football fans ran riot in the streets of Mali's capital Bamako following their country's World Cup qualifying match home defeat at the hands of Togo, police said.

Several police and demonstrators had been injured, a senior police official told AFP, describing damage to property as "enormous.".

The last-minute winning goal for the visitors by Mama Cherif brought part of the 40,000 crowd swarming on to the pitch, and as the final whistle blew police moved in with teargas in a bid to restore control.

But the violence spilled on to the neighbouring streets, as protestors called for the Malian football federation to quit and also shouted slogans against President Amadou Toumani Toure's government.

Cars were burned or their windows smashed, tyres set alight, traffic signs pulled down and the main bridge across the Niger river blocked by barricades.

"Dozens of bars, restaurants and small hotels were burned down, and the demonstrators attacked symbols of the state and Malian sport," the police official, who declined to be identified, said.

These included the headquarters of the national Olympic committee, two sports grounds, including the March 26 stadium where Sunday's match was played, a large monument to African unity called the Africa Tower, and offices of the state betting organisation.

Other targets included brothels, leading officials to think that religious extremists were also at work.

A politician who declined to be identified said it was an expression of general dissatisfaction at growing economic difficulties as well as the poor performance of the national football team.

The official said the police only intervened to arrest "vandals" responsible for the destruction, and avoided a wholesale clash with the thousands of rioters.

A finance ministry source put the cost of the damage at "several billion" CFA francs (millions of euros, dollars).

Balla Konare, a Mali University professor, agreed.

"The demonstrators were fed up with the high cost of living and the education crisis, while religious radicals took it out on bars and other places of 'depravity'," he said, adding, "The government must be very careful."

The result left Mali at the bottom of Group One in the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup in South Africa, with only two points from two draws out of six matches.

I wonder what punishment they will get!

Now if that was England,we would be whipped!!

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

Hey least its not us Brits this time proves it goes on elsewhere an all!!

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

Yeah true.....but i cant wait to hear the news on their punishment!!

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

Well Jason, I would be interested to know when you last saw someone whipped for commiting ANY crime in England. Now if you had said football hooligans SHOULD be whipped, I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you.;)

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

Yeah it'll be interesting on what they are gonna do about it n hopefully they deal with it like they would deal with us brits!

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

I don't think they will get more than a slap on the wrist,it makes me mad that only in England fans cause trouble! Dutch,Italian and Spanish football shown on TV, have had loads of trouble,crowds fighting and things thrown on the pitch etc but it always gets swept under the carpet!:(

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

I must of just been wishing on getting whipped.........lol:p

If it was us english we would be thrown out of the competition straight away!!

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

Yeh thrown out n on every newspaper n channel going!!!!! Even to some points of being scrutinised by FIFA over tickets abroad like reduced for brit fans n being kept well behind after foriegn matches targeted by cops heavy handiness.

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

the media here seems to turn a blind eye to the trouble that fans from abroad do,I've seen bottles of water, flares,lighters and even a pigs head1 thrown at players taking corners,and when ch4 showed a football match in Italy the police had a scrap with fans and used water cannons! but we have the only hoolagans they say!

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

N apparently we have the best hooligans even tho those foreign folk are alot worse n they usually start the trouble n we get blamed!!

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

Freddie Kanoute was playing for Mali over the weekend when 40,000 of his own fans started rioting and invaded the pitch chanting thet they were going to kill him and one of his team mates. Tottenham have been unable to contact him and has yet to arrive in back in London even though he was scheduled to this afternoon. Very worrying. Hope nothing bad as happened to him. Shocking behaviour by the fans

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

All is well

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ca/4390651.stm

Re: Football Hoolaganism
 

Good news!!